Something is not quite right
by Bar-Ohki
Summary: Hiei's been kidnapped and taken to a world where times passes differently. Now that the rest of the Spirit Detectives have finally come to his rescue they all realize that something is not quite right. Will they slove the mystery in time? OOC
1. Where in the Worlds is Hiei? part 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho, if I did I'd have a lot of money and won't waist time writing fanfiction. I do own a good majority of the concepts and any character that doesn't appear in the show. Since I am a lazy person, I will only write this thing once so that I don't have to retype at the being of every chapter, that's just stupid in my opinion.

Warnings: This is rated PG-13 for mature themes, strong language and a few fight scenes somewhere later in the story. Rating is subject to change. All romance pairing are strait. Hiei is slightly OOC.

Author's Note: The chapters I've written are long, so I divided them into parts. Also, I rely on my computer's spell check to keep my work readable, please inform me if there is an error. I don't know how to spell some of the things, so bare with me here. I also had to put footnotes in this story, they're at the bottom of the document. Please enjoy!

Something is not quiet right….

Chapter 1: Where in the Worlds is Hiei? (part 1)

He laid his face against the face of the Crystal. It was smooth and cool, yet it was active with so much energy that it felt like it was surrounded by a field of static energy. In a sense the Crystal was, except that energy was of Spirit and the 'static' was actually excess that radiated off into the near by air space, thus creating an intense, tangible Aura. An Aura was the 'hands' for a Crystal. This was a land covered with splendid crystals which the people had built structures on, in, and out of. Entire cites were connected by crystal.

He adjusted the rest of his body to lean against the Crystal. In response to his affection, the Crystal molded its Aura around him, in a motherly embrace. He was one of its many 'children'; the people of this country, who are recognized as the Galen, had been around and embracing the Crystals for generations and the living stones came to recognize and love the people in return.

Though this man was one of the Crystal's children, he was not born that way. He was born under a starless black sky in the world of Havtheirn[1]. Though he wore a blue Galen robe, woven of crystal fibers, and was embraced with as much compassion as any of the born Galen, he was _not_ a Galen because he did _not_ look the part. Everything about his body screamed foreign.

The hair of a Galen sparkled and shimmered, it started one color[2] and ended with white tips; his hair was the purest kind of black imaginable, it reflected no light of any sort. His hair seemed to deify all laws of gravity by sticking strait up, which didn't help matters. The skin on a Galen was a soft off-white aiming towards green, his skin was too colored to be skin, for it was a reasonable light peach color. Eyes for the Galen were yellow with a varying degree of orange tint, but _never_ a true orange, his eyes were crimson.

He sunk into the Crystal's embrace. Around here he was given fake smiles. Around here he heard Galen gossip about him went they thought he could not hear. Galen's faces always portrayed welcome and acceptance around him but their bodies were uneasy, very uneasy. He forced tears back from his eyes and suppressed sobs from escaping. He'd been living here for twenty years and he was still foreign and distant.

But it wasn't like this place was any better than where he had been before. It was a stinky city, with thugs, high school street gangs, and plenty of crime. It was a human city, with real people who might have called him short or mistaken him for a child, but they didn't actively distance him, he was just ignored, unnoticed. But here, he was the center of the stares. In the human city where he used to live he had a few good friends. No, these where his best friends whom he spend a good two and a half years fighting alongside, brutal battle after brutal battle.

These people weren't really human. Yusuke was a half-demon with large spiritual power, Kurama was the spirit of a fox demon that fled into the embryo of a human boy, Kuwabara was technically a human with abnormal Spiritual power, Genkai was an old human lady in the same boat as Kuwabara, and Botan the Spirit World Oarswoman[3] who fit in a class of her own.

The little man sighed and pressed closer to the Crystal. He remembered every little detail of the last time he saw his true friends. What color of the clothes they wore, the exact tone they used when they spoke, the sounds of the individual motors of cars behind them. Upon the backside of his eyelids, his mind projected the memory in perfect detail.

__

Yusuke had his hair gelled back, his hands in the pockets of the bottom of his school uniform, and his body propped up against the side of the red brick stadium. He had chosen to wear the black leather jacket Kuwabara had given for his birthday. Underneath the jacket was a white shirt that Yusuke's closet seemed to be an endless generator of. The shirt was not tucked in because he had not worn it during the game. Instead he revealed that he had painted a large green 'S' on his chest, and sat in a line of other boys who had done the same to spell the words 'GO SWORDSMEN!' (including a guy with nothing on his bare chest to represent a space). If you looked at Yusuke's shirt hard enough you could make the 'S' out. On Yusuke's feet were the black boots I had made him for his birthday in response to a challenge set by his mother to get him a pair of 'feet covers' that would last a year. These boots had lasted two and still had plenty of life left in them, I made them with extreme abuse in mind of course.

Kurama was wearing that rancid purple school uniform of his. He was zipping up the top, having been the 'space' in 'GO SWORDSMEN!', and we couldn't have the perfect_ example running around shirtless, could we? Kurama was standing calmly next to Yusuke, their faces a bit red from screaming. Kurama's shoes were a pair of uncomfortable dress shoes that shined brighter than the sun._

Genkai and Botan stood a little to my right like they were twins. Both donned forest green kimonos with brown belts. Botan had pink socks and sandals. Genkai had no socks that I could see and a pair of well-fitting black shoes. The old women had pulled her hair loosely into a bun that was held together by a green flag that had 'GO TEAM!!' written on it in yellow letters. She had her arms crossed and her classic glare on her face. Botan had just kept her hair in the pony tail that it never escaped from. Now Botan was waving two of the 'GO TEAM!!' flags around in a sickeningly cute manner.

Kuwabara was walking over, from the left, with a wooden baseball bat on his right shoulder. He donned a yellow hat and what were once white socks (they were a muddy brown now). He had on his baseball uniform which had bits of seriously ground in dirt all over (though a good majority was on his pastel yellow pants). The forest green shirt he wore had 'SWORDSMAN' written in yellow on the front and 'KUWABARA' written on the back along with a large '13'.

I was warring a forest green tank top with my usual black pants and boots. Over my left arm I had slung my over coat. It was too blasted hot to be wearing a black over coat for a human, thus in order not to look crazy I was not wearing it. And to some extent, I was glad I wasn't. It would have been a bit unpleasant sitting next to a bunch of sweaty people with no chance for escape, while wearing a black over coat.

"Hey guys, thanks for coming! This is the first year that we made the play-offs and it's a real treat to have all you come!" Kuwabara thanked.

"I only reason why any of us came was to watch you publicly humiliate yourself, though you certainly disappointed me in that department. Watching your other fans beat up that guy in the bird suit was only slightly amusing." I calmly retorted. Kuwabara glared at me.

"You fell asleep didn't you!? I bet you didn't even watch me hit that homerun!" He snapped.

"Homerun? Oh you must mean the thing the announcer kept on saying that 'Unlucky 13' was hitting them all the time!" I honestly didn't know what a 'homerun' was, but I assumed it wasn't a great achievement and insulted him with it.

"Yes sir! I made the league record for the amount of loaded bases homeruns scored in a game! Bet you can't do that shorty!" Kuwabara disarmed me by proving it was an impressive feat.

At that Kurama winked at me and mouthed 'I'll explain later'.

"That is impressive, and what's more impressive is that your "swordsmen" creamed the Parrots with the best display of sportsmanship I've seen in years. Now if only my pupil would follow such a good example…." Genkai remarked absently.

"Ba-san_!! I'm not that bad!" Yusuke attempted to defend himself._

"Oh, Yusuke! Why do you always treat Master Genkai with so little respect? She's your master!" Botan half complained as she stopped waving her flags. I decided that I was going to go out for a run to get my stiff body moving again. And so I waved and began to walk away.

"Hiei," I stopped at Kurama's mention of my name, "aren't you going to stay for the party Shizuru's planed?"

"No, I haven't got the time." I looked over my shoulder. Genkai grabbed my wrist.

"Time or no time you should at least congratulate Kuwabara, he and the rest of his team were an impressive sight as far as baseball goes. And I'm not letting go until you show him respect, after all if you just did sword dance perfectly_ and I knew nothing of those dances, I'd at least take the cue from everyone else that you did well and give you my appreciation." She gave me look at only mothers can give and I was left with no choice but to comply._

"Hey baka! I don't know anything about this baseball thing you like to do, but I have to admit that going out on that field and running around hitting and catching balls in this heat is something that takes great strength and determination to do without losing precision. I congratulate you on your stubbornness and endurance. I also think that it takes a decent amount of skill to get along with your teammates, the way you did." At that I was released.

"Th-thanks Hiei." He was stunned to see me compliment him without intending to insult him.

"Now, I've got to be going!" I was stopped again, this time by Kuwabara.

"Here's tickets to the next game. I hope you show your face with a better understanding of baseball!" Kuwabara left me with tickets in one hand, coat the other.

"Yeah, I'll go, I'd like to see your fans beat up another mascot." I turned around and looked at them gave a small wave, which was returned by more enthusiastic waves.

He let lose a soft sob and the Crystal tightened its hold around him. He still had the tickets in his pocket, they were worn and abused. He pulled them out. His only memento of his friends.

_'I was going to see Kurama about baseball when I was brought here. Twenty years ago…'_ Hiei thought to himself. A Galen hand rested its fingers on the top of the sheet of paper. Hiei's eyes followed the hand, up the arm, and over to the face.

It was a heart shaped face with cat yellow eyes and a dark pink/purple mixture hair color that flowed down her face in soft, smooth waves. The lips were the same crimson of Hiei's eyes. The expression was one of concern.

"You're melancholy again…. You still miss your friends, even after twenty years?" The Galen's voice was soft and had this strange warmth that didn't seem to fit the Galen[4]. Hiei's mind spun fast thoughts. He realized that he did have a few friends here. Kairos Skyeyes, the lady that stood before him, was the only person here that knew him as a person. He had told her things about himself he wouldn't dream of telling his best friends.

"Of course, we demons do not easily forget. That's why we still mourn things that have long left this world, isn't it?" She continued on delicately guiding his hand to put away the tickets. After that task was complete his hand was lifted up and set upon her cheek with care.

"You're warm…." She uttered absently, as she always did every time she felt his skin.

"You always say that." Hiei pointed out to her.

"And its always true." Her eyes glittered softly.

That was when the Crystal took matters into its own 'hands'. It gently shoved Kairos into Hiei. And the two found themselves kissing. Instead of reacting violently as one would expect of Hiei, he accepted the kiss and let it deepen into a lover's caress. After a few long moments the lips parted.

"Dammit! I'm love with you!" Hiei cursed under his breath. His mind began to entertain thoughts of his friends reactions.

_'What the f---!? The arrogant bastard in love!? I think he's lost it!' Kuwabara would scream while running around. Mental note: if I ever see him again, do not be around when he figures this out._

'Congratulations Hiei!' Yusuke would slap a hand heavily on my shoulder. 'I always knew that you had a heart somewhere in there!' Then Yusuke would bent down and whisper in my ear. 'So what's she like? Oh, wait! Are you still a virgin?' Mental note: if he asks any pervert questions like that, kick him squarely in the crouch and tell him that he's too immature for that and shouldn't be perverted so often.

'Hiei are you okay?' Kurama would them proceed to check my temperature and ask questions concerning my sanity. Another mental note: have Kairos there to confirm my sanity and my love for her.

'Good for you.' Genkai would just say and end that conversation.

'Omigosh! Hiei are you serious!?' Botan would be in practical hysterics. Mental note: do not tell Botan, save myself the pain of calming her down.

"-Hiei! Hiei are you there?" Kairos waved her hand in front of his face. Hiei came back to reality.

"Yes, just thinking about what my friends would say if they ever found out about us…." He began to absently play with her hair.

"From what I know about those crazy friends of yours, I'd say that all of them would be in some form of hysterics with the exception of Genkai, or was Kurama the old lady?" Kairos didn't ever remember names and faces.

"You got it right the first time. What would really blow their minds is the fact that we're married. Once they got over our relationship, of course. Genkai and maybe Kurama wouldn't really over-react." Hiei smiled as he could just picture Kuwabara's jaw on the floor right next to Yusuke's jaw and Botan's unconscious body.

"Hiei, I know this is hard for you, but you've got to get over this! Is it really fair for you to suffer twenty years? It-it makes me suffer too!" Kairos suddenly exploded and crumbled into his arms. Hiei startled by this sudden outburst and found himself holding her up. He felt sobs come to his throat and because he couldn't bare to let one out in her presence, he was rendered speechless.

Hiei held her tight, yet his knees suddenly collapsed from all the pressures he'd felt over the years. The two lovers lay there at the foot of the Crystal, cuddled in its warm embrace. After a moment Hiei let a sob.

"Hiei?" The woman in his arms looked up into his near-tear eyes.

"I'm sorry Kairos. I cannot forget them, they're my brothers in a way. Besides, the only reason why they haven't show their faces yet is the time difference. I won't forgive myself if I forgot them, or any part of them!" He had an edge of desperation in his voice. Kairos nodded.

"I'm the one who should be sorry, they're important people to you and its not my place to take your treasures away from you. I've been selfish." She explained.

"I can promise you that I'll do everything in my power not to suffer around you. Its not right for me to drag you down with me." Hiei stood up, pulling her up with him.

"Is that alright, love?" He brushed a tear away a tear that she had cried at some point during their talk. She nodded softly and he kissed her. It wasn't long, but it felt that way.

"Now don't we have two children to look after?" He asked her with greater enthusiasm than he had had all day. She laughed.

"We do don't we?"

------------------------

[1] I don't actually know where Hiei is from so I made up a name.

[2] To the Galen, black is not considered a color, nor is white or any shade of gray.

[3] Instead of the stereotypical 'Grim Reaper' appearance, people are brought into the other world by attractive ladies riding oars, hence the name 'Oarswomen'.

[4] Galen have a average body temperature of 90° F, they like their food cold, and they live in rooms with and average temperature of 60° F. The Crystals that surround the Galen are cool to human touch. Their treatment of others shows that they are often cold-hearted and cruel. Thus, explains why Hiei is unaccepted.

------------------------

Author's Ending Note: This idea popped into my head one night, so it's a little crazy sounding, but trust me, the story gets better. Please R&R!!


	2. Where in the Worlds is Hiei? part 2

AN: This chapter was kindda long, like all the other chapters in this story…. So I broke it into two pieces. Enjoy!

Something is not quiet right…

Chapter 1: Where in the Worlds is Hiei? (part 2)

Yusuke sneezed.

"I'd say 'bless you', but you happen to be Urameshi Yusuke and that kind of thing doesn't fit your character." Kurama remarked.

"Geez, you're starting to sound like Hiei! Speaking of which, where the hell is that little bastard!? God! We must have searched this city five times, the Spirit Realm three, and the Demon Realm seven!" Yusuke exploded, throwing his hands into the air in defeat. It wasn't as if Hiei had been missing long, he'd only been gone ten days. But what was making Yusuke and the others so stressed was the simple fact that Hiei was _missing_. They wouldn't have noticed if it hadn't been for the fact that Hiei never showed up for his "appointment" at Kurama's house.

"I can't sense him anywhere! We even have Genkai helping and there's not even a clue! Its almost as if he got kidnapped and the kidnapper never even touched the ground…." Kuwabara was, oddly, the most worried about Hiei. _'I thought he was too strong to get himself kidnapped, and here is missing! Something is very subtly desperate about this. Somebody needs Hiei so bad they had to kidnap him, but why? And of all the people in the world, Hiei?'_ Kuwabara though to himself. No-one would listen to him when he said that whoever had Hiei was not about to give him away, whoever it was _needed_ him.

"Kuwabara, have you sensed anything about this?" Genkai asked him in a gruff tone. She had joined the search yesterday. All the information they had about it they told which consisted of: he's been missing nine days, we've looked everywhere, and done everything we could to find him.

"Yeah, somebody's desperate. I mean, like, Hiei is life or death for them or something!" Kuwabara was finally happy to get through to someone.

"I see…. Where have you searched in the other worlds?"

"Everywhere!" The boys retorted for the millionth time.

"Even the Land of Glaciers?"

"Yes, Yukina was our guide." Kurama answered.

"Hey Ba-san, since when did you know places in the other worlds?" Yusuke was curious, but he was rude, as usual, about asking.

"My first trip to the Dark Tournament, my second trip, my _death_, and knowing Koenma helps." She glared at him for not noticing the obvious. "Have you searched through Crystila?"

"What the hell are you talking about!? That doesn't exist!" Yusuke snapped.

"No, we haven't been there." Kurama uttered softly.

"What!? It does exist!? Talk fox-boy!"

"Well the people who live there are very isolated and they've strayed far away from what a Yokai should look like, thus it is very hard to go in without being noticed as a foreigner. I tried to steal one of their crystals, and…let's just say it's the only job I never accomplished and I'm very lucky to be alive.

"The people there call themselves the 'Galen'. I know that they are somewhat," he paused to find the right word, "_disturbed_ by foreigners. As far as the land itself is concerned, it's covered with these crystals. They are filled with massive amounts of _Reiki_. Time does weird things there. And the weather is always chilly. That's all." Kurama was surprised that Genkai would even think of a place like that. But rather than Genkai telling them that that was where they should look next, Kuwabara did.

"He's there! I _know_ it!" Kuwabara had been sharpening his skills with his sixth sense.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go brake some jaws and rescue our midget!" Yusuke threw a punch into his hand, smirking.

------------------------

AN: I decided to break the chapter parts by the scene changes, so be expecting some nasty cliffhangers.

For those who reviewed this story: I thank you for your compliments and got this part up as soon as I found out you had read this story. It makes me feel inspired to write more! (I'm actually somewhere in chapter 5, but I've got to revise the story before I post it or it doesn't make any sense to anyone but me….)

Anyway, R&R!!


	3. Prince Etric part 1

AN: I would like to thank people for reviewing my story, here's chapter 2 (part 1)!!

Something is not quiet right…

Chapter 2: Prince Etric (part 1)

Hiei crashed landed onto the bed only to have his opponent leap onto his stomach.

"Oof!" Hiei gasped involuntarily.

"Suichi! Don't you dare jump on your father like that!" Kairos roared at her son who was standing on the winded Hiei.

"It's okay, dear, I've been punched much harder and sent through buildings." Hiei was smiling, already breathing normally.

"No it _not_! Children do _not_ knock their father around like that whether or not he is a warrior! You're both grounded!" She snapped using those motherly 'your fate is one worse than death' tones. There was a small giggle from the corner which was silenced nicely by a glare.

The giggle had come from a young Galen girl with lots of long, black hair. Her hair sparkled like every other Galen's though it didn't have the white tips. She had two normal cat yellow eyes and a third blue eye on her forehead. Her skin was lighter than normal for a human and it was tinted green. When you looked at her face you could see that her lips had more red than usual. For a girl her age she was muscular and athletic.

"Hey! I thought I told you not to laugh at other's misfortune!" Hiei yelled as he sat up quickly, catching his son.

"Stay quiet, you're grounded!" Kairos reminded her husband. She turned to her daughter. "Keiko, your father _is_ right about that. Now, what am I going to do with you boys?"

"Leave us in a vat of chocolate?" Suichi suggested hopefully as he brushed his hair, which happened to have been the same color as his mother's. Like his sister Suichi had two normal cat yellow eyes and a blue Jagan. Suichi's hair didn't sparkle and didn't end in white, though it did deify gravity like his father's did. Also like his sister, Suichi was muscular and athletic for a boy his age, which is not surprise considering the types of games he plays with his father.

Many would wonder what kind of family would have a seasoned martial artist as a father, a intelligent politician that was literally raised in a barn as a mother would make. The answer is a tight, happy family. These four folks where probably the happiest in all of Crystila.

Hiei being the suspicious ex-thief that he was, had taught both his children how to fight and defend themselves. Kairos having grown up on a farm and knowing the importance of staying fit, makes the children do chores and practice the skills their father gave them. If anyone was thinking this was an easy family to steal from or try to kidnap one of, they could not asses situations very well, could they?

Kairos shook her head at her son. She picked the ten year old up.

"I believe you have to go to school in ten minutes." She set the boy down so that he could scurry off to prepare for his education. Hiei smiled as he watched his two children run off.

"They're beautiful little things, aren't they?" He said absently, his eyes filled with pride.

"Yes…." Kairos answered him as she sat down next to her husband.

"Am I still grounded?"

_"Yes."_ Kairos half heartedly bobbed Hiei on the back of the head. "And you're going to stay that way until I know that you boys aren't going to roughhouse!"

"Its hard not to rough house when I'm doing other things! Ever since I came here, I haven't been able to fight. The closest thing I get to battles is training the kids or rough housing. Unless I find a sparing partner, the rough housing isn't going to stop." Hiei fell back onto the bed, putting his hands behind his head.

"You're such a child!" Kairos teased as she pinched Hiei's cheek.

"Ow!"

"Yet, it's just one of the millions of reasons I love you." She fell over next to him. And that's when the timer went off.

"Oh carp!" Hiei leaped off the bed grabbed various papers off his desk and threw them into a bag. While Hiei was collecting his things Kairos walked to the door and opened it. She didn't step outside, she just stood by the door, waiting. When Hiei finished he ran out the open door, pausing long enough to give his wife a kiss on the cheek.

"He's always so busy, it isn't fair for the family…."

---------------------

AN: The title is explained one of the later parts, which I am currently revising! R&R!!


	4. Prince Etric part 2

AN: The chapter title isn't explained here ether…. Anyway, I'm trying to make the Galen a realistic society, which makes you wonder about your own society. Review responses at the end of chapter. Please enjoy!

Something is not quiet right…

Chapter 2: Prince Etric (part 2)

"Crystila!?" Koenma exploded in his shock.

"Yeah, it's the only place we haven't been. Besides we don't know anything about them, which makes them the most likely to kidnap Hiei." Kurama explained.

"Don't you know that time passes more quickly there? Hiei could have died from old age by now!" Koenma didn't know the exact ratio but he did know they where on a faster seclude.

"Well, Koenma sir, we need to update our information on the country, and we need to look there for Hiei; won't this be a great opportunity to kill two birds with one stone?" Jorge suggested. Immediately afterwards he prepared to be yelled at, but was utterly shocked to see that Koenma was considering it.

"Yes, it is a good time to do that. Alright you four are undercover detectives acting as envoys of the Spirit Realm. Your priority mission is to locate Hiei, discover the methods used in his capture (because that's bothering me), discover the reason for his capture, and rescue him. Of course you will also _be_ envoys and I expect for you to establish diplomatic relations with the Galen. After you return I want you to write a detailed report about the culture, government, and those crystals that Cryastila is known for." Koenma briefed his detectives. Kuwabara raised his hand, as if he was in school.

"Yes Kuwabara?"

"Who's our fourth man?"

"Oh, that would be Genkai-"

"If I recall correctly, I did _not_ intend to become an envoy today. Since when was I one of your detectives anyways?" Genkai snapped at Koenma.

"Well its an matter of ascetics, what do you think when you see those three boys standing there? From an envoy perspective I think 'incompetent, inexperienced, probably rude, cocky, stupid'. But when I look at an elderly lady such as yourself I think 'wise, together, intelligent, patient, understanding'. When I see you with those boys I think: 'Oh, she's training them to be great envoys!'. I'm not sure what the Galen are like, but I don't think that brute strength is going to leave the impression we want. That's why." Koenma explained. Kuwabara nodded then raised his hand again.

"Yes?"

"What about Botan?"

"I'm going with you guys as an emergency messenger to Koenma!" Botan piped cheerfully, "…As well as your secretary."

"Kurama, your record states that you have been to Crystila once before, is that correct?" Koenma looked up from a sheet of paper, probably Kurama's record.

"Yes."

"What was the dialect like?"

Kurama made a few horrid attempts to recreate the noises he heard a long time ago and failed every time. After a while Koenma sent Jorge off to collect the information they did have on the Galen language. When Jorge returned Kurama was put to a stop.

"Well, the language is similar to English. Do any of you know someone with a decent grasp of the English language? We really don't have the time to get you on happy terms with any of our translators…." Koenma muttered the last sentence.

"Keiko's got good grades in English!" Yusuke exclaimed.

"Keiko? Perfect, Jorge, have her brought here immediately! Now, since you're going to be envoys, you've got to have some training before I send you off…."

---------------------

AN: Cliffhanger! I feel evil, and it's great! Here's the review responses:

Anomois / Donamarine / Ryu-Pyro- Thanks, for reading! I've got more on the way!

nannon- Thank you! An author always likes to hear nice things about their work! The time difference becomes key to the story. So be on the look!

slave2anime- That's for me to know and you to find out. I'm sorry, Hiei did age, but because he's a demon the ageing was all mental, not physical. He's still very hot and sexy, his wife can tell you all about that!

Pharaoh'sAngel- Hee…hee…hee…. If Hiei didn't have a heart, his wife won't love him. I did try my best to keep with his character, but there are some interesting changes that you will be exposed to in the near future. As for it getting better, it can and does. About the bio, I completely forgot what I had on that (wrote it while I was in middle school) and I have no idea what was going on in my head at the time I wrote that, but I updated it into something a little more sane. Have fun with The Swabbies, it's my first controlled humor fic (read my other stuff to see why I say that).

ME!- Very fortunate I am to read your stories like a ballistic worshiper; it enables me to figure out who you are (miss-jump-into-a-coffee-cup-at-the-end-of-a-review). How'd he get there, hmm? That will all be explained soon enough. And thanks for telling me about where Hiei was born! I don't look up stuff like that on the internet- I'm too lazy.

Hope to see more reviews in the future! R&R!!


	5. Prince Etric part 3

AN: You will now get to finally see the explanation of the chapter title!

Something is not quiet right…

Chapter 2: Prince Etric (part 3)

Hiei sat down heavily with a large sigh.

"Depressed?" The tutor in front him raised and eyebrow.

"No, exhausted." _'Both physically and mentally.'_ Hiei added to himself.

"I can see why. You were brought from your home to a foreign land to be the Prince of that land. You discover that your knowledge of things (such as mathematics) do not meet the standards of your current job position, and thus you are here before me. And we've sat down at these tables for how many years, Etric?" The Galen men stood up and paced dramatically around Hiei's desk.

"Fourteen, sir." Hiei answered. He hated being called 'Etric' but it was a name that the Galen could easily say. Since the Galen's language didn't include an 'H' sound of any sort, it made saying 'Hiei' impossible.

"Well, I want you to answer all the questions on this sheet of paper, Etric. After you are done with it you are dismissed." The tutor set a paper before Hiei. Hiei nodded and began work on his anatomy test.

* * *

When Keiko answered the door, she did not expect to see Jorge standing there.

"Keiko, you have been recruited for a top secrete mission." Jorge grabbed her wrist and began to drag her away.

"Wait! I have homework to do!" Keiko screamed and kicked as she was dragged away.

* * *

"This should fit you…." Botan handed Keiko a purple kimono.

"Botan, what are we doing?" Keiko had been thrown into a fitting room with Botan on arriving at the Gate of Judgment. She was wondering what in the world was going on with trying on kimonos.

"We're getting you into proper envoy attire. You see we're undercover going into Crystila to rescue Hiei. And we're also acting as envoys and we need you to translate. I know that this is short notice, but every moment we waste, is another moment Hiei's life is at stake." Botan and Keiko stepped out of the room wearing kimonos.

"Well, you lady's are certainly ready!" Genkai had put on her green kimono and was standing next to three boys, wearing very new business outfits.

"This is itchy!" Kuwabara complained.

"Hi Keiko, FYI, I'm responsible for recruiting you. You have permission to kill me after this is over." Yusuke confessed. "But if you really must hit me mow, please don't leave a mark on my face, I have an impression to make."

"Humh!" Keiko crossed her arms and stepped up to the transport platform. Botan joined her.

"We'll let them know you're coming, so wait two minutes before you go through!" Botan called over her shoulder as she and Keiko stepped into the glowing green square only to disappear.

* * *

Kairos let out a yelp of pure surprise as a large green square suddenly appeared and two ladies stepped out.

"Um…herro[1]. We are from the Spirit Rearm." Keiko explained slowly, attempting to be clear.

"Good day to you. You speak with a sound tlat[2] is not of my tongue. Would you tell me tle language you speak?" Kairos held out her hand in greeting. Keiko took it and shook it. To a normal Galen touching is a forbidden thing only done with your spouse. Of course, having married a foreigner, Kairos was more excepting of such customs.

"Are you Japanese? I know some Japanese." Kairos explained. She smiled and said in Japanese, "I've been practicing my Japanese as the representative to the Spirit Realm, but our monarchs haven't been sending us envoys off, but that doesn't mean we don't have them. If its easier, I can translate for you."

"Oh, well, I'm an apprentice envoy with a little group of boys and our teacher, the real envoy, are coming. I just came here to forewarn your people." Keiko explained in Japanese.

"I see, but who is she?" Kairos pointed at Botan.

"I'm an emergency messenger to the Spirit Realm as well as secretary." Botan explained.

"That's reasonable, when are your companions arriving?"

There was a pause.

"I'm not sure, we told them to wait a few minutes there. But I'm sure how that comes out here…."

"They will be here sometime tomorrow then. Thankfully I'll have time to arrange things. Will you follow me? We've got rooms to prepare!" Botan and Keiko nodded and ran after her.

---------------------

[1]- The Japanese language has no 'L' sound, thus they use 'R' as a replacement.

[2]- The Galen language has no 'H' thus they use 'L' as a replacement.

---------------------

AN: I decided to combine three short sections into one part. (This was mainly to avoid getting death threats from my reviewers.) What do you think of Hiei's 'job'? What do you think of the story? Please give a review even if you have nothing to say. Just tell me to keep going or something…. R&R!!


	6. Nothing is as it Seems part 1

AN: There are two songs at the end of the document. Tell me if they are horrible, 'kay?

Something is not quiet right…

Chapter 3: Nothing Is As It Seems (part 1)

"Yusuke!" Hiei screamed as he awoke from a nightmare. He was breathing heavily and sweat rolled down his body and drenched his night robe. It took but a few moments for him to realize it was just a dream and he turned to his wife, who continued to sleep soundly.

_'Why am I being haunted by him? Its been twenty years….'_ Hiei wondered as he looked out the window. He slipped out of bed, too awake to even hope to sleep. Raising his hand as he approached the window, Hiei began to hum a tune.

The tune was actually a bass line that Hiei had learned when Yusuke tried to make a garage band. The result was actually pleasant sounding, but Kurama didn't really have the time to be part of the band because he actually cared about school. Hiei remembered every song they ever played/wrote. His favorite was an American song called 'It's the End of the World as We Know It' written by a band called REM[1].

But that wasn't the song he was humming. He was humming a tune he had written[2]. Hiei set his hand against the window's clear crystal surface. Hiei looked down at the city bellow him. All the Crystals pulsated with a calming glow, lighting the city in a dream-like light.

"You come crashing into my world, like a shooting star. You are standin' there all alone, but you aren't that far, from me. From me.[3]" Hiei sung the lyrics under his breath. He remembered when Kuwabara first sung[4] the lyrics to me.

_"Hey shorty! I've got those lyrics ready!" Kuwabara had ran to meet me at the park strait from school. His clothes looked as though he had been though a food fight. Though, knowing him, he probably had been in a food fight…._

"You do? Wow, your little brain remembered that you were supposed to do that! Now show me those awkward rhymes with that hideous voice of yours so I can get back to my work." I sneered at him.

"Geez, you're sure great at making me feel good about my work." He remarked sarcastically. "Anyway, you'll do the piano and I'll start. On three! One…two…three!" With that we broke into the song.

"Hmm…." Hiei leaped in surprise, only to discover that Kairos had only happily moaned in her sleep. She was smiling blissfully with her eyes shut. Her body posture was one of complete pleasure. Hiei set his elbows on the windowsill and leaned back, with a smile on his face.

_'At least one of us can have peaceful dreams and a full nights rest.'_ Hiei thought to himself as he looked at his wife. _'It's good that we never switch places in scenarios like this, I won't forgive myself if I knew.'_ He sighed, still unable to get to sleep. Kairos stirred in her sleep. _'May she always have good dreams….'_ He turned his gaze out the window.

_'Now if only I had Kuwabara's talent for words….'_ Hiei wanted to write a song, words and all to describe the peaceful scene below him. He paused to think how he would start.

"Soft, white glow on your face, as we dance in the Crystal's embrace?[3]" He sang softly. His mind wandered around trying to find another phrase, but nothing would come.

"Under the night's warm cloak, the swinging clock's stoke. Midnight is tune-ly struck, dancers step beyond the world's muck. And so the circle spins 'round 'gain. As our souls melt into the dance by Crystal light." Kairos sung softly. Hiei turned to see that she had sat up and now looked at him.

"You should sleep…." Hiei became bashful and looked away in his embarrassment.

"It's hard when your bed warmer walks away. Besides, how can I bear to sleep if my love gets up night after night, screaming, and finds himself unable to rest?" Kairos signaled Hiei to come and he began to walk over, stopping a few paces from the bed; the expression on his face became suspicious.

"What are you planning?" He half-demanded of her.

"I'm going to get you a full-night's restful sleep. Now get over here!" Hiei sat on the edge of the bed, looking out the window one last time.

"I wish I could see them one more time…." Hiei muttered absently. Kairos set her hands on his neck and began to massage.

"I wish I could meet them." Kairos muttered back at him. "Lean back." Hiei complied.

With his body relaxing and his mind claming, Hiei found a peaceful dream at last. But as all dreams are subject to change, this dream turned foul. Hiei did not leave the bed when he woke screaming his sister's name.

_'Why I can't I have just one dream where somebody doesn't die?!'_

------------------------

[1]- Me no own.

[2]- The scary thing about Yusuke's garage band, called 'The Yokai', is that Hiei wrote all the music and Kuwabara wrote all the lyrics. Kurama and Yusuke sang and played lead guitar and piano. Hiei played bass and Kuwabara was on drums.

[4]- Kuwabara and Hiei would sit down and write the songs together. Afterwards Hiei would be one instrument while Kuwabara would sing (with great quality) the lyrics to test the songs. Normally nether of the two sang.

[3]- Just for your entertainment, here's the full lyrics for the songs Hiei was singing/writing. I wrote them, so if you use one of them, you'd better be telling me first!

****

Nothing is as it seems

You come crashing into my world,

Like a shooting star.

You are standin' there all alone,

But you aren't that far,

From me.

From me.

--

Chorus:

I know you don't belong,

But I never did ether.

Let me lead you away,

To a place where we can play,

And fight the machine,

That keeps us here.

Come with me,

Come with me: I know the way!

--

The world spins against you,

And you can't fight it by yourself.

I can give strengthen you,

So why don't you help yourself?

To me.

To me.

--

Chorus

--

The world is a odd place,

Where people can stray,

From the path of our race,

I made the path; so why don't you stay?

With me.

With me.

--

I'll guide you up the path,

Now you and I can see,

The beacon of truth gleams:

Nothing is as it seems,

That's the finish if we win it,

But only we know the truth, so:

We will win.

We will win: together.

****

Dance by Crystal Light

Soft, white glow on your face,

As we dance in the Crystal's embrace,

The colors soft, and pictures blur,

Circles within circles,

As the dance works miracles,

We become something unreal,

--

Chorus:

Under the night's warm cloak,

The swinging clock's stoke,

Midnight is tune-ly struck,

Dancers step beyond the world's muck,

And so the circle spins 'round 'gain,

As our souls melt into the dance by Crystal light,

--

Old eyes watch youths circle 'round a peg,

Swirl of your skirt, swing of my leg,

The dance moves our bodies,

Emotions and thoughts become one,

As the dancers run towards fun,

Weapons become decoration,

--

Chorus

--

Crystals, glittering and glistening,

The dance's momentum slowing,

As the sun threatens to raise,

The circle makes one last spin,

The only thing remembered is the grin,

That was broad, light, happy and sat

On those dancers' faces,

As they returned to the places,

From which they came,

--

Chorus

------------------------

AN: I had to use '--' to separate the verses. I'm sorry about not updating sooner. quickly checks ahead I'm sorry to inform you that the long awaited meeting with Hiei isn't coming around until the next chapter…. But that will be up pretty soon, if I continue at my current rate. Please don't maul me until then, 'kay? There's a lot of important stuff going on in this chapter that needs to happen first.


	7. Nothing is as it Seems part 2

AN: Here's the next installment of the story. I had to go in and add some stuff to the chapter which will appear in the next posting.

Review responses (since most people reviewed twice since my last set of responses, I'm going to respond to both reviews in the order they were written):

Donamarine- Can't wait to see the gang's responses? Don't fret, its in the next chapter (and I don't mean part!) / Thanks! I wrote Dance by Crystal Light for this story, glad my efforts weren't ignored.

slave2anime- I forgot to explain that in that chapter, ergo I added the part after this one to explain it. About the accent thing, what are you talking about? I'm confused…. / cries People like my songs! I'm so touched. They are really poems I put to music (I even wrote that!). Hiei's job is revealed in the next part.

SamiKismet- Wow, you figured it out (I guess I didn't make his job so oblivious….). I spent multiple weeks thinking out the crazy twists and turns of this story before I started writing it. I'm glad people besides myself are enjoying the fruits of that laborious task. / I know, I know! Everyone's gonna kill me but their meeting isn't until the next chapter! I have to get there and that's going to take a bit more time! I beg you to not kill me until then!

Ryu-Pyro- I'm getting there as soon as I can! Beware the evil cliffhangers I have in store for you!

Something is not quiet right...

Chapter 3: Nothing is as it Seems (part 2)

Keiko woke up. Somehow she couldn't stay asleep, it wasn't bad dreams that got her, it was simply waking up.

"I can't take her up on that offer she made me…." Kairos had told her that if she had any problems, that she should go see her. Kairos was nice and genital, with a mother's love that she gave anybody. She acted differently than the other Galen, though why was beyond Keiko.

Suddenly Keiko felt as though she was being watched. She heard the sound of a flute. Getting up, Keiko pulled a robe over her body. She began to follow the sound of the flute.

After a while she found herself at the door to Kairos' room.

* * *

Hiei set down the Brecy Flute[1]. Playing himself to sleep didn't help tonight ether. Kairos opened her eyes.

"Love…." She became filled with misery. She hated watching him suffer.

"Just go to sleep. I can take care of myself." Hiei laid down next to her. She cuddled against his body. Hiei shut his eyes; if he couldn't sleep he could at least relax.

* * *

"Hmm…." Keiko went back to bed. _'Who was watching me?'_

_

* * *

_

"Well, Suichi, she sure is a strange one." Keiko whispered to her twin brother.

"I wonder if she's from the place Daddy came from…." Suichi and Keiko had been spying on the envoys from Spirit Realm with their Jagans. They had waited until their father was asleep so that he won't find them out. Though Hiei would know if they were doing such things in his sleep[2], he let them get away with it because children need to be able to think they can outwit their parents. If he didn't let them do such things, they'd probably pull a more harmful prank.

"What are the chances of that?" Keiko had learned that the outside world was a _huge_ place, from her father of course.

"I don't know, but she looks like she's the same race as Daddy." Suichi explained.

"Her ki is different than his." Keiko pointed out.

"Well, it is a girl we're talking about!"

"But what about her companion? Her ki's really _weird_." Keiko wondered.

"Maybe she's from a different country? Daddy told me that the Spirit Realm is more of a rendezvous point than a country. They have people working there from all over the Demon Realm and even some people from the Human Realm." Suichi suggested.

"Do you think that Daddy's old friends are coming to take him away? Daddy did work for the Spirit Realm leader-guy before he was brought here." Keiko was suddenly frightened, "Maybe they want him back!"

"That's impossible, its been twenty years! Besides he won't leave us or Mommy, he loves us too much!" Suichi assured her.

* * *

"Its been two minutes, I'm going in!" If there's one thing Yusuke really, _really_ hated, it was waiting.

"We have to walk in together, bonehead!" Genkai snapped at him. The four marched in a line through the transporter. They found themselves surrounded by massive crystals.

"Wow…!" Kurama remarked.

"Good day!" All the eyes fell one the lady wearing a yellow robe with a black sash around her waist. Her robe glittered like the crystals around them. Next to her Keiko and Botan looked bland. She spoke to them in slightly accented Japanese.

"I am Kairos Skyeyes of Crystila, I shall be acting as a second translator and as a cultural bridge between yourselves and my people." She gave a formal bow. "Before I gave you a tour of the place, I'd like to tell you boys a few things about myself. I am 44 years old, I'm married, and I have two children. And I would rather you not talk about my appearance at all, thank you. I will now show you to your rooms." She signaled the boys to follow her.

As she showed them about the huge expanse of crystal, she explained the Galen culture and pointed out things of interest, along with practical places such as the bathrooms. After a while she showed them to her room.

"This is my room. If you need anything you can come here and wait for me or my husband. He is as willing to help you as I am." She paused to take out a sheet of paper. "This is your schedule for tomorrow. I do hope you can make it on time to all your destinations." She leaned closer to them. "It's best that you'd be early to your meeting with the Prince. His schedule does not have any buffer what so ever." She pointed to the appointment.

"It says right here that we're to be briefed by you before we go in, I'm certain we'll be able to make it early." Kurama pointed out.

"Silly me! I should study my own schedule more often." She laughed at her own stupidity.

"Oh, and could you please lead us back to our rooms, my grasp of the building is not yet good enough to find my way without getting lost." Yusuke asked humbly, using his lessons in manners to his fullest.

"Certainly!"

------------------------

[1]- Kairos had taught Hiei how to play the tin whistle. The Galen call them Brecy Flutes and they are made of Crystal.

[2]- Hiei sleeps with his Jagan open, making him aware of the world and Spirit use.

------------------------

AN: I promise to update this thing sometime tomorrow or the day after! Hold your horses until then!


	8. Nothing is as it Seems part 3

AN: Here's the chapter I promised!

Something is not quiet right…

Chapter 3: Nothing is as It Seems (part 3)

Queen Valia sat on her throne with a sigh. It had been a long day. She had had audience after audience and was now running on her energy reserves. Being the Queen was a very demanding job. Valia had some disease that prevented her from barring children. And now that same disease seemed to be causing her pain and suffering beyond words. She was losing heart, knowing that there was no cure for her problem and that things were only going to get worse.

And having a high-stress job was not helping matters. Valia ran her hand through her red hair as her mind pondered her last audience. There was a good chance it was one of the envoys that had shown up earlier. Duer, one of her personal bodyguards[1], had gone to the door to formally introduce whoever it was. This audience had been arranged during the last audience and Valia had been spared the details.

Duer was build like a sturdy farm-boy with lots of muscles. And that was because he was a sturdy farm-boy. He had brown hair and his eyes were a bit more orangey than most Galen's. He looked like a simpleton, but he was well-educated and had some interesting views of the world.

Duer cracked one of the massive doors open and looked at the person on the other side. He nodded and smiled. Valia cocked her head, wondering what the strange behavior meant. Duer pulled the door further open and stood out of the way. Valia was still unable to see who it was but she knew in the next moment.

Hiei had flitted into the room.

"Good day, my lady." He had kneeled before her, as was properly required of him. Valia found the strength to get off the throne and close the distance between herself and Hiei. He stood up and caught her as she stumbled.

"You're strong, that will show in later generations." Valia told him with a smile as she looked up at him. He blushed.

"You really think so?" He continued to blush. Duer loudly shut the door, himself on the other side.

"Duer's a smart lad." Valia observed. Hiei smiled and carried Valia back to the throne and set her down on it.

"Yes, but you know better than to strain yourself." Hiei's eyes filled with worry. "You're in pain."

"I know. Etric-" Hiei interrupted her.

"You _know_ I hate being called that." He reminded her.

"Oh humor me! I'm your mother and I get to call you by the name I gave you!" She pinched his cheek.

"Ow! You women are out to get my cheeks today!" He put a hand on his new 'wound'. "I know that I am your son, but my true parents gave me a name, and I'd rather be called by that to respect them…." He looked away. Hiei remembered the odd circumstances that lend to him getting adopted by the Queen and wed to Kairos. It wasn't bad, he actually loved Valia to a degree, but he was just too old to be her son. Though, they both liked to dream.

"I can't say it." She pointed out.

"You could try." At that request Valia took a breath. She tried to make an 'H' sound three times and gave up. "Why don't you do as Luna does? She just replaces the 'H' with an 'L'." Hiei pointed out.

"Liei? That sounds a bit odd…." Valia chuckled. "What brings you here anyways?" Hiei put his hand into his pocket and produced a sheet of paper. He handed it to her.

Valia opened it up to see two drawings. One was a scene in the country with herself dancing blissfully with Hiei and his family. The other was a picture of a few fairies dancing, which had been drawn by Hiei's son, Suichi. The latter had been drawn by Hiei's daughter Keiko. In the middle there was a small collection of words with a picture of a orange rose beneath it. Kairos had drawn the rose and Hiei had written the words (Hiei's handwriting was very distinct because he was foreign and took a different stance on making the letters than a Galen would).

These were the words he wrote: Laughing, Singing, Crying- Playing, Feeling, Hurting- Running, Loving, Dieing- these are the little things in life. Be strong and live life to it's fullest for these little things.

And those words eased the pain a little bit.

"Thank you." Valia was about to cry. Hiei gave her a hug.

"I'll try and see if I can assume a few more of your duties." Valia went wide-eyed when Hiei told her his plan.

"Absolutely not! You've taken enough of them already! Besides you've got those classes! You don't have the time!" She used the Mother 'don't even think about that again!' tone. Hiei held up his hands in surrender. "It was kind of you to think of me." She smiled and kissed his forehead.

Valia's pupils turned yellow, to match her eyes. Hiei blinked and they were black again. "Please bring your guests to meet me, okay?"

"Sure thing?" Hiei wondered what she meant.

"Its good to Know you will.[2]" She smiled. Hiei bowed and took his leave. Duer came back in, his pupils yellow.

"Don't worry, my lady, our people with accept him soon enough." He told her before his pupils returned to normal. She nodded.

"I hope that time will be soon."

* * *

Kurama held the map that Botan had sketched for them as a secretary. It was crude, but it did get them from point A to point B without too much trouble. The boys had been unable to sleep in their beds, having found them too cold. When they found themselves in the little lobby of their rooms, Kurama suggested that they have a look around and study the paths they would be taking the next day.

It was really an excuse to look for Hiei.

Kurama was now holding the clipboard and adding to the map. Kairos had only showed them one floor and said nothing about going to the other floors. As foreigners, the boys could use ignorance as an excuse for wandering into areas where they probably weren't supposed to be.

* * *

"Huff…huff…." Hiei breathed, once again waking from a nightmare. He looked at his wife, who simply looked back at him with sad eyes. Hiei got out of bed and dressed himself. He had decided to put on the clothes he had been wearing when the day he came to Crystila. These clothes were the warmest things he had and Hiei refused to get rid of them.

"Where are you going?" Kairos asked quietly.

"I'm going to the music chamber."

"Why?" She looked confused rather than worried.

"I'm going into one of the amplifying Crystals to sleep." He began to wrap his old scarf around his neck. Being a member of royalty, Hiei was taught how to take himself in inside the Crystals. Normally Galen only knew how to put others in and out. Of course the inside of Crystals were cold to a Galen and freezing to Hiei, thus making him wear his warmest clothes.

"I see. If you can't sleep there, I want you back here okay?" Kairos got out of bed and grabbed his hand. She set it on her face.

"Be warm…." She wished him. He smiled and kissed her.

"Of course." Hiei left his room. He remembered coming here.

_I walked down 5th avenue, which was the busiest street in the city. People milled about completely oblivious to my presence. There was a crowd gathered across the street. And my curiosity got the best of me and I was soon moving though the crowd to see what there was to see._

Most peculiar woman was standing there, waiting for something. She had hair that glittered and glistened. It was apple red and ended in white tips. Her eyes where an orangey yellow. And her skin was an off-white aiming towards…green? Her features were sharp and pointy. She continued to inspect the crowd until her eyes fell on me.

Her glare turned my blood to ice.

She walked over to me and began to look me up and down not saying a word. After a few rotations she reached into her pocket and took out a crystal. It was white and slightly see-though. I could see that there it was hollow inside. She pointed up at something without looking at it and the crowd dispersed. I continued to look her, in the eye, trying to read her next move.

Without warning she lunged and placed the little crystal against my chest. She waved her free arm and I found myself being shrunk and pulled into the crystal. Once I was inside she nodded and pocketed me.

When she took me out, she set me on a pedestal of some sort and left me there.

"Humph!" Hiei didn't like the six years that followed that day. He spent every moment of those years inside that crystal, trapped. He was never able to forgive Tarra for what she did to him. It wasn't as if she liked him ether, she down right hated Hiei.

The weird thing about sleeping in Crystals of any size was that you always had the same, peaceful dream. This wasn't the first time Hiei had retreated to a Crystal for sleep, it was the first time that Kairos was aware of it.

As for the Crystal Hiei had in mind, he only wanted to hear the music, which would help pull him asleep. He walked up to the backside of his choice Crystal.

_'Change your _Yoki_ wavelength to match its _Reiki's_. Let your _Yoki_ and its _Reiki_ circulate between yourself and it. Step up and merge your bodies, then pass through.' _The Queen Valia had told him.

_'I should probably think of her as my Mother, since I am her adopted son….'_ Hiei thought absently. He was too old to have a mother and she was too old to have a son. If ether had time for a relationship, it would have been a teacher-student relationship at best.

He followed her instructions to the letter every time he went inside a Crystal. Hiei wasn't fond of the sensations he got merging into a Crystal, but he didn't mind the inside (other than that it was freezing). He walked over and sat down watching the last band play their last number. This Crystal distorted sound on the inside which somehow amplified it. The music he heard sounded soft and calming. The tune made Hiei's eyelids heavy and reminded him of his purpose here.

Hiei laid down along the bottom of the Crystal and set his head comfortably on his arm. At last the sleep he'd been wanting for the past few months came to him.

------------------------

[1]- All of the Queen's body guards are farmers. Because of homesickness and the needing of hands on farms, Valia rotates through a set of twelve trustworthy bodyguards, one for every month. Hiei had demanded that she get some.

[2]- The 'K' is supposed to be capitalized.

AN: I hoped this explains Hiei's 'job'. And aren't I cruel from keeping you from the first confrontation between Hiei and the others? The real confrontation isn't 'til later, but its on the way! R&R!!


	9. Nothing is as it Seems part 4

AN: I'm updating! Wow…. This is the last part for this chapter!

Something is not quiet right…

Chapter 3: Nothing is as it Seems (part 4)

The room was empty and the detective's footsteps echoed loudly. The Crystals in the room loomed over them in an imitating manner, though the air felt as if that wasn't the intended impression.

"We're done looking in here, let's leave." Yusuke said quickly, his discomfort obvious in his tone. Kurama looked around, straining his senses for any sign of life.

"Yes, let's leave." Kurama agreed with the uneasiness in his voice just as apparent as it was in Yusuke's. The two turned to leave when they realized Kuwabara was not coming with them. Kuwabara was walking over to the base of one of the Crystal's.

"Kuwabara, let's get out of here!" Yusuke quietly yelled. Kuwabara put his hand on the Crystal and appeared to be starring at something.

"Guys!" Was all Kuwabara had to say, his voice filled with shock. Yusuke and Kurama ran over.

"What is it?" Kurama asked trying to catch a glimpse of what Kuwabara was looking at and failing.

"It's…Hiei…." He whispered. "I can feel his _Yoki_ coming from inside this Crystal…."

Kurama and Yusuke strained their Spiritual Sensing abilities to confirm Kuwabara's observation. The answer: yes, Hiei is inside that Crystal.

Kurama had brought a flashlight with them only to discover you could see perfectly well by the crystal light. Though these crystals in front of him were clear, they were not inner-lit like the others. They only glowed when sound was made. In theory if one was quiet, you could see into the crystal, but it was too dark in the room to make anything out. The Galen must have assumed that you would be making noise if you were in this room because it had no other forms of illumination, making it very dark if there was no noise.

Kurama took out the flashlight and turned to the others.

"I want you guys to be _silent_. I'm going to try to see inside the crystal." Kurama announced.

"How- it's too dark!" Yusuke pointed out. Kurama turned on his flashlight and held it up.

"Oh."

Everyone took in a deep breath and quieted down. Kurama pointed the flashlight into the crystal. It landed on Hiei, who was curled up in a little ball, sleeping. His Jagan was open for a moment and shut in reaction to the light being beamed at it. Other than that Hiei was undisturbed. He appeared to be having a nice dream, because he was smiling.

"How the hell are we supposed to get him out?" Kuwabara said, making the crystal light up and their view of Hiei disappear. "And more importantly, how can he sleep through that?"

"I don't know, I really don't…." Kurama confessed when his two companions looked at him expectantly. His mind cooked up a plan. It was not discrete and it involved risking Hiei's life. The plan: have Yusuke blow the crystal up with his Rei-gun and hope Hiei wasn't killed. _'Not going to work.'_ was all Kurama had thought on that matter.

But the sound of voices sent the detectives out of the room and down the hall, faster than the eye could trace.

* * *

"Well Botan, I think we found their prison…." Yusuke told her between breaths.

"Yeah, its really weird…. He's _inside_ a crystal…." Kuwabara added.

"That's great, now why do you suppose that that is the case?" Genkai asked the boys.

"Huh?" Kurama spoke for them all.

"Well, why do you think Hiei was inside that crystal? Could it be that the crystal is leeching Hiei's _Yoki_ to keep it alive for another few years? That would explain the 'desperate' factor." Genkai puzzled.

"No, there was no leeching or agony involved. Hiei was sleeping and smiling!" Kuwabara corrected.

"I don't know…." Yusuke said plainly.

"They have him captive, that's certain." Kurama concluded. Everyone agreed to that.

* * *

--- Hiei's Dream Sequence ---

I was sitting in a field of yellow grass. To my left there was a large hill. To my right was a nasty cliff with sharp stones and other nasty things at the bottom, which extended indefinitely. Behind me was a lake with a playful stream that came into the lake from a small forest. In front of me was a little fort that had been constructed from branches and other things that had been laying around. A little girl came out of the fort.

She had normal skin with a slight greenish tint. Her hair was green with white tips and was dull, she had tied it back into a braid. She wore a forest green jumper with a long-sleeve, light blue undershirt. Somehow I knew she was a Galen from the moment I first saw her, and that was before I had my Knowledge.

She saw me and ran over. I took a moment and examined what I was wearing. I had on dark orange pants and a light green short-sleeve shirt. I didn't have a cloth covering my Jagan, but she knew I had one. She smiled cheerfully as she began to yell.

**"Liei!"** Like every other Galen I met, she could not pronounce 'L's. I chuckled. She leaped into the air and I caught her, twirling her about in a small circle. She laughed jubilantly.

"You haven't changed a bit, Leda." Leda giggled at me.

**"I don't change Liei! But you do…. Why haven't you visited lately?"** She looked a bit worried. I sighed, unsure of what to say.

"I've been busy lately and I haven't had the time. But I'm here now." I calmed her. It was as if she was my own child. Of course when the Mother Crystal turned me into a Galen I began to feel like she was my own mother. Its weird, she's my child and my mother and there's something inside me that says that's okay, this is how it should be. I held her warm body against mine. My lips made a smile that I couldn't hide away, and, frankly, I didn't want to.

**"You'll be staying a while, right Liei?"** She asked me.

"Yeah, until I'm needed again. You'll let me Know, right?" She nodded. Good, I was covered.

**_-b-e-e-p- Suddenly, the author is attacked by a raging hoard of rabid badgers, thus abruptly cutting off Hiei's Dream Sequence and ending the part and chapter. -f-z-z-t-_**

AN: Well, that dream is certainly better than a nightmare, but what in the world is it? Mwha! If you review, I'll post another chapter and then you can find out! I hope to get 7 reviews before I make my next update, which is going to be Sunday. R&R!!

Review Responses:

KayHiei- Thank you! I hope to get the next one up Sunday, maybe Saturday if I'm lucky.

Donamarine- Thanks! As for the plot, my muse got off her lazy butt and sent a bunch of hungry plot bunnies at me. I'm afraid I got bit and this story was the result. He's a mommy's boy for both his wife and his 'mother'. He's also a workaholic….

baka-onna2003- blushes You people really praise me with such complements that I feel unworthy of. This update's to you! I hope you liked it.

SamiKismet- Little do you know…. bursts into a fit of maniacal laughter What is currently going on is just the beginning of something much larger. I like to make my reader's think, it keeps the story much more dynamic. About the Tarra part, Tarra is a very confusing person. Hiei won't look into her mind on the premise that he might come out without his sanity. And those six years come into serious play later, keep an eye out!

Bishounenlvr - I will, will. mumbles If my life doesn't kill me first….

slave2anime- Why nightmares? Hmm…high stress job, workaholic outlook, and two very mischievous children. Why I'm surprised he can get to sleep! Anyway it's said that if you start remembering someone/thing it will be shortly coming back into your life. Of course for Hiei it's taken the form of nightmares. But those are key, be on the watch!

Thanks to those wonderful people!


	10. Three Different People, One Body part 1

AN: Here's the update I promised. I'm sorry about the raging hoard of rabid badgers, I had to use that deus es mahina (God is the machine) to tragically cut that chapter short but the dream would have gone on and on and been very boring to read, and, far more importantly, to write. But I shall refrain from continuing to bore you, on with the story!

Something is not quiet right…

Chapter 4: Three Different People, One Body

--- Later in Hiei's Dream Sequence ---

Leda tugged on my shoulder. She looked a bit sad. I sighed, it was time to go.

"I'm sorry." It was all I could think of to comfort this girl. She smiled sadly at me.

**"I'm the one who kept you. Go. Kairos needs you."** I nodded to her. Standing up, I began to head towards the cliff. I stood on the edge of heaven and reality. I spread my arms out and jumped. It might have been considered insane, but the sensation of flying was wonderful. As the rocks came within inches of my face I wondered if this is what it was like to fly around like Jin….

--- End of Dream Sequence ---

Hiei woke to the tugging on his shoulder. He had kept his Jagan shut after those idiots beamed light into it while he was sleeping. It stung horrendously and Hiei was in no mood to have be extra irritated by leaving it open. He sat up and rubbed his normal eyes.

"What is it?" Hiei half-yawned, stretching his arms.

"Its time to get up!" Kairos piped, "I didn't want to wake you, though. You were having such a peaceful dream…." She held out a hand to him and pulled him up.

"It was a good dream, you were in it." He smiled and brushed his finger across her cheek. It was a lie and Hiei felt a bit guilty about telling her that. Maybe someday Hiei could show Kairos Leda and her little paradise. But that would be another day.

"Is there something wrong with your Jagan?" She looked at it with worry.

"Some smart-ass pranksters shined light into it last night. It still stings." Hiei grumbled, silently planning to kill whoever was responsible.

"Well you're awake! Already complaining and cussing!" Kairos teased him. "Well, I have some good news for you and some bad news."

"Give me the bad news first."

"We have a group of six envoys here at the castle. One is a secretary and one is a translator." Kairos began. Hiei didn't particularly like the sound of that, it meant that he would have to entrain these people.

"And the other four?"

"One's an elderly woman, who's the only real envoy. You see, the rest are envoys-in-training as well as bodyguards for the old woman…." Kairos went on.

_'Great, brainless thugs! Probably fencing obsessive royal morons! Ick!'_ Hiei thought to himself. "Oh that's _nice_…." was what he said.

"Time for the good news!" Kairos bumped the bottom of Hiei's chin, making him look up. "You are _done_ with your health tutoring!"

**_"What!?"_**

"You got a perfect score on your final! You are _done_!" Kairos was smiling brightly.

"Well, we've got to celebrate!" He picked up his wife, threw her into the air, caught her, and spun her around in a kiss.

"Don't do that!" She bobbed him on the back of the head. The truth was that she enjoyed it.

"I can't help it and you like it!" He had a mischievous smile on his face.

"Not now!" She snapped at him seriously.

"Later?"

"Tonight, if you're not spent." He nodded happily. She smiled mischievously back at him. "I have another bit of good news for you."

"Really?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, really." She leaned in closer to him. "I'm pregnant." He fell onto his rear, his eyes filled with shock.

**_"Pregnant!?"_**

"Mm-hmm! I checked with the doctor this morning. I have a good felling about this one…." She set her hand on her abdomen, beaming with pride. Hiei stood up and brushed himself off.

"Well that's an improvement to the last two!" Kairos became sad and so did Hiei at the memory. The pervious to pregnancies hadn't been as successful as their first.

"Don't worry, Koenma will have hell to pay if he takes another child from us." Hiei assured his wife, who had become watery-eyed. "Look at me!" He held her face so she could look him in the eye. "Fate deals us bad hands with children, but all that bad karma is gone now. So now we're going to be dealt some winning hands for all our losses. I trust your sixth sense, love. You of all people ought to have the most faith in it of all!" She smiled and cried a bit.

"You're right. This one is going to bless us with a happy, healthy child." She whipped her tears away.

"Though knowing our luck we'll have three happy, healthy children…." Hiei said absently.

"Oops! You have to get to your math class!" Kairos remembered.

"I'm skipping!" Hiei announced. "On the account that I am emotionally over-ridden at the moment and need some time alone with my wife!"

Kairos laughed at him. _'Well this day certainly started on the right foot!'_

_

* * *

_

"This is the council room were you will be meeting with the Prince." Kairos opened the door to reveal the most normal-looking room the envoys had seen. It was a pastel yellow with a round crystal in the center of the ceiling, which let out a soft, white glow. There was a wood table with eight chairs. Seven of the chairs were made of wood and had comfortable navy blue cushions on them. The eighth must have belonged to the Prince because it was made of crystal. The table would have been round except that there were two small little cut-offs on opposite sides of one another. These cut-offs were just large enough to sit one person at. The Prince's chair was to the left of one of these notches.

"These," Kairos set her hand on one of the cut-offs, "are for the secretaries. The leading representative sits to the left of their secretary and the right of their translator. The Prince won't have a translator. So it would be of tasteful of your group to sit your translator next to him and someone charming and not intimidating next to the secretary." Kairos explained. "I'd like to see your set up before he arrives."

Kairos rearranged the set up twice before she decided it was okay. The arrangement was (starting from the Prince's chair and going left): the Prince, Keiko, Yusuke, Botan, Genkai, Kuwabara, Kurama, then the Prince's secretary.

"Excuse me Mrs. Skyeyes-" Kuwabara began.

"Call me Kairos."

"Would you mind if I asked you a personal question?"

"That depends on the question."

"I was just wondering what your husband's name was, since you always speak so fondly of him. I just wanted a name to associate, you know?" Kuwabara asked her.

"His name is Etric." Kairos had decided that she'd reefer to Hiei by his public name around officials a long time ago. Kuwabara nodded.

"Now I have other business to attend to, so please don't anger the Prince." Kairos warned before she left.

* * *

"Hello Tarra." Hiei kept his face neutral. She had a good reason to hate him, when Valia had been proven sterile, she proclaimed that the Mother Crystal[1] would find her an heir within ten years, and if not her heir would be Tarra. Three months after that, Tarra kidnapped Hiei. Six years later the Mother Crystal crowned him Prince. After that Tarra was to be Hiei's chief advisor, secretary, and wife. As we know, the wife bit didn't work out because at that point, Hiei was already madly in love with Kairos. And not even the Mother Crystal could persuade him otherwise.

"Hello Etric." She said to him just as neutral as when he told her. "What do you need?"

"I have a meeting with a group of foreign envoys and I need a secretary." He explained.

"Oh, and why can't you just have Kairos do it?"

"She's at parent-teacher conferences." He crossed his arms.

"Why must I do it?"

"I don't specifically need you to be my secretary, I just thought that you could do it, being my assigned secretary and all. Of course if you're too busy that's understandable, this is short notice after all. I just need someone to take notes for me and provide me with council; and if you are unable to do that at this moment then could you help me find someone who can." Hiei always had to convince her that he needed _her_ to help him, but this was the way the Galen operated. They needed to be convinced that they were the only ones that were needed and that the job couldn't be done without them. This was to make up for the lack of physical battles in Crystila

"Why must you have my council?" Tarra asked him.

"Because you are the best when it comes to dealing with multiple foreign envoys (who are probably royal brats). You also have a greater wisdom of our people than you'd realize. And Kairos, well, she's good at persuading, taking illegible notes, and dealing with country bumpkins. And that's not what I'm asking for is it?" Hiei flattered her.

"Very well then, I have some time." She packed her briefcase with the precision of someone in the military who does this everyday, all day. Hiei lead her towards her destination. She glared at his back the entire time, attempting to make him uncomfortable.

Hiei stopped right in front of the door and turned to face Tarra, who stopped glaring the moment he begun to spin.

"We hate each other, there is no doubt about that in ether of our minds. I do _not_ want this personal hatred to be present within the presence of those envoys. I want us to be respecting of one another, nothing more." Tarra nodded at his request, it wasn't unreasonable.

Hiei took a breath and opened the door.

---------------------

[1]- The Mother Crystal is the largest one in all of Crystila. It is so powerful that it can actually talk to the Galen, though it chooses not to most of the time. All the Crystals are connected to it in someway. It is also the oldest and has more authority than anyone else in Crystila.

AN: Cliffhanger! I feel evil! I know, but I'm double -er…more like quadruple- checking the meeting scene to make sure that its as great as I've been promising. But there's more than just finding Hiei! They have many things to discover about him and his life (like the fact that he's married). Anyway I've got an awesome surprise for everyone, if by chance you can guess what it is, I'll give you a preview of latter in the story! Good luck! R&R!!


	11. Three Different People, One Body part 2

AN: I feel really evil right now.

Something is not quite right…

Chapter 4: Three Different People, One Body (part 2)

Yusuke and Kuwabara were about to die from laughter. Kurama, in his absolute boredom, had made a toilet joke that was, apparently, very amusing. Botan was snickering, Keiko and Genkai just shook their heads.

Kurama herd the noises outside, guessing it was the Prince talking to his secretary.

"Guys! Quit laughing, he's here!" The laughing came to an abrupt end. Kuwabara had been writing random lyrics on a piece of paper, which he shoved beneath his other papers. Yusuke ran around and picked up his paper airplanes and hid them in one of the cubbies at Botan's seat. Botan glared at him for doing that.

Since there was no longer any evidence of adolescent misbehavior everyone looked at one another, nervous. They were so nervous that they didn't hear the door open. But they did turn when they heard the papers hit the floor.

**_"Hiei!?"_**

**_

* * *

_**

Kairos wondered about those envoys. They had the same names as her husband's old friends and they looked just like what he had described.

_'If only I had a Jagan, then I could see his reaction to them….'_ Kairos had kept silent about were the envoys were from. She smiled wondering what kind of little explosion she was going to get when he came home for the night.

AN: Now isn't that really evil?

sA (my muse): =O That is inhumane! You don't update for a few days then you leave them on this cliffhanger! I'm going to send my savage hoard of cannibalistic, constipated plot bunnies at you!!

Bar-Ohki: u.u;; On second thought I'll spare myself the mauling of both my muse and my reviewers and post another chapter right after this!

sA: You'd better!

Bar-Ohki: But first I'd like to respond to my wonderful reviews!

slave2anime- It is good to be evil sometimes, gets more people to review that way…. As for the surprise, you'll find out after I post the real chapter that comes after this little teaser.

SamiKismet- Mwhahahaha! I **_AM_** the evil one! As for my surprise, it's on the way. I bet you weren't expecting this….

baka-onna2003- Yes I am evil and wonderful. --gets smacked by muse for gloating-- I'm updating!

hinata house owner- I updated! Yay! I bet you are, I feel sorry for keeping you from it. My story keeps you on the edge? Wow, I never tried for suspense but I guess that just comes with the mystery doesn't it? I updating!

sA: Now post it!

Bar-Ohki: I'm going, I'm going!! R&R!!! (even though this thing is about a about a page in length…) Oh! And for those of you who might be having trouble reading the Crystilian, let me know and I'll write it out in English as a footnote or something! (I was writing chapter six and I had a bit of trouble reading over my work…. u.u;;)


	12. Three Different People, One Body part 3 ...

AN: The exceedingly evil Authoress Bar-Ohki, proudly presents the moment all of you have been waiting for, the Reuniting of the Reiki Tantei! But first I would like to recognize the following people for reading my story up until this point (the underlined are fellow authors) (names written in the order in which they appeared on my review list):

ME! (aka Shadow Jaganshi),

Pharaoh'sAngel,

slave2anime,

nannon,

Ryu-Pyro,

Donamarine,

Anomois,

SamiKismet,

Bishounenlvr,

baka-onna2003,

KayHiei,

baka-onna2003,

****

and

hinata house owner **_!!!_**

Thank you for sticking with me up until now! I hope you continue to read my story and send me your wonderful reviews! Like I promised at the end of the first part of the first chapter: it does get better, and that applies from this point onward! Now I will stop prattling pointlessly and give you the moment of truth!

Something is not quiet right…

Chapter 4: Three Different People, One Body (part 3)

****

OR

Chapter 4, Part 3: The Reunion

Hiei was shocked, stunned, and pretty certain that he was dreaming. When he got tapped on the shoulder with a 'athem', he bent down and picked up the papers that had scattered across the floor he had dropped the pile.

Everyone was reacting a bit more controlled than Hiei thought possible. Kuwabara was shaking his head, muttering something about "crazy, midget Princes". Yusuke was sitting there, slack jawed, too stunned to say anything coherent. Kurama started folding the paper in his hands to keep his mind distracted enough not to go off the edge. Keiko was pinching herself, to make sure this wasn't a bad dream. Botan was trying with every bit of her will not to faint from the shock. And Genkai, Genkai just sat there with a look of minor surprise on her face. That was just like Genkai. Thankfully for Hiei, Tarra thought that these foreigners were doing some perfectly normal, foreign things that she didn't understand and wouldn't ever hope to.

"Well, that was certainly unexpected!" Kurama remarked in Japanese. Everyone else nodded, too stunned to speak.

Tarra walked around Hiei, stepping pleasurably on his fingers, and sat down at her seat and began to unpack her things as if Hiei was not glaring at her from the floor while picking up papers. He got up with a messy, unorganized pile in his arms. He set the pile on the table.

"I don't think I'll need any of that crap." Hiei announced in Japanese. Tarra raised an eyebrow at him. He looked at her.

"Wlat?" He asked her in Crystilian.

"You speak tleir language?"

"Yes I do. Lell, tley're my best friends!" Hiei sat down heavily.

"This is not what I was bracing myself for this morning…." Hiei said absently in Japanese, putting his head in his hand.

"Weren't you told that we were from the Spirit Realm?" Kurama asked him, his fingers still working madly at the paper.

"No. God dammit! I want to get up and hug you guys but my secretary will freak out!" Hiei exploded in Japanese. He seemed so relived that he was on the verge of tears.

"I thought you were being held captive!" Botan remarked.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Hiei was lost.

"You were sleeping _inside_ a crystal last night. We assumed that you were being held prisoner or something…." Kurama explained.

"So you're the dimwits who beamed light directly into my Jagan last night! It stings like a son of a bitch!" Hiei glared at Kurama, who was the only one with enough sense to carry a flashlight with him.

"Oops…." The three boys confessed.

"Excuse me, low am I to take notes wlen you're speaking anotler language?" Tarra asked her superior.

"I won't be needing notes for tlis. You can leave because I'm certain tlat you won't be included." Hiei explained to her.

"Lumpl!" She gathered her things and left.

_'Your old best friends you missed so dearly, hm? How delicious! I'll serve you their disembodied heads on a Crystal platter. Let's see if your weak emotions can withstand that Prince! I will brake you if I cannot have you….'_ Tarra thought to herself as she walked down the halls. She descended into the dungeon proper, a place that had been sealed off millennia ago. She walked in three inch dust, which crunched beneath her feet like snow.

Tarra approached a Crystal that was pure black. It emitted black light which sucked in all other forms of light. It was more of a abyss than a Crystal. It was perfectly round, a centimeter in diameter. It's Aura filled the entire room, which was oddly spherical, with a little platform that led out into the middle of the room where the Black Crystal floated. Tarra bowed to it.

"I have something to report." She began, her yellow eyes black.

"Yahoo! We got rid of the wicked witch!" Hiei all but sang.

"Isn't she your secretary?" Yusuke wondered.

"She's a bitch and a pain in the ass. I have no choice but to work with her because she got assigned to me." Hiei made a face.

"Well, Hiei, perhaps you'd answer some questions for us?" Botan asked nicely.

"After you answer me one. What the hell is Keiko doing here?" Hiei glanced at Keiko when he said this.

"I'm the transrator!" She retorted at him in English.

"Tlen you appreciate 'L's…." He responded in Crystilian.

"Well, this is probably the worlds' most interesting set of envoys. Undercover detectives, looking for me, right?" Everyone else nodded. "This is going to sound obvious, but I can't leave."

"Why?" Yusuke asked.

_'There goes his one nice comment for the day….'_ Kurama thought absently. His paper now resembled the Eiffel Tower, which was set aside. Kurama thoughtlessly picked up another paper and began to mindlessly transform it into a dragon.

"The time difference between here and the rest of the worlds. About twelve hours pass here every minute in the other worlds, which makes for a nice two years here, one day there." Hiei narrowed his eyes. "I have _many_ obligations that keep me here other than being the only heir to the stupid throne."

"Okay, question one, what the hell was going on with the crystal thing last night?" Genkai, of all people asked him.

"Answer one: I was sleeping. Sometimes if I can't sleep I'll go inside a Crystal to sleep because I can always sleep inside those things." Hiei glared at Kurama to remind him of the little stinging sensation he still had from his Jagan.

"Second question: what was with that room outside the crystal?" Kurama asked, having had found that room disturbing.

"It's called the Music Chamber. The Crystals there amply sound."

"Oh." Kurama was amazed that he didn't figure that out when he was looking at the stage.

"Question number three: how the hell did you get here?" Kuwabara asked the burning question.

"…I was kidnapped. By Tarra. She used a simple technique that all Galen know. You see, all Galen can send others into and out of Crystals. So she sent me into a pocket-sized one." Hiei reached into his pocket and took out the very Crystal that he had been kidnapped. "Actually, she put me in this very one." He set it on the table so the others could look at it. "After I was inside, she put it back in her pocket and took me here."

"Can you do that?" Kurama wondered as he held the Crystal in his hand. Hiei smirked evilly and sent Kurama into the Crystal.

" 'Course." Everyone except Genkai and Hiei, was freaking out. Hiei sent Kurama back out of the Crystal and into his seat. Kurama was paled and unsettled. He set the Crystal on the table and pushed it away from him.

"And that's were I spent the next six years of my life!" Kurama gave Hiei a look that questioned the sanity of the man he was talking to.

"Six years!? It's been ten days!" Botan screeched.

"Two years pass here for every day that passes outside of this land. I've been gone ten days _there_, and I've been _here _twenty years. I have done some changing over those twenty years." Hiei looked slightly harassed as he, re-explained the time difference to Botan.

"Botan, quit being stupid! Our goal here is _not_ to harass Hiei, remember?" Genkai had elbowed the Oarswoman in the stomach.

"Oops…." Botan looked at her feet.

"Hiei, why would you want to hug me? I mean, thought you hated me…." Kuwabara asked him.

"It's been twenty years and I even missed your hideous face…." Hiei admitted.

"Well, you sure as hell don't need to be a little bastard about it!" Kuwabara yelled at him.

"Damn, that felt good." Hiei said under his breath. He had forgotten what being yelled at by Kuwabara was like.

"So you're the Prince around here. How did that happen?" Genkai asked him.

"The last member of the old line happened to have been sterile. So said that her heir would be Tarra, unless the Mother Crystal-" Hiei had begun.

"Mother Crystal?" Kurama raised an eyebrow.

"I'll explain that after I'm done with the story fox-boy!" Hiei glared at him. "Anyway she said that if the Mother Crystal was able to find a more suitable heir within ten years, then that person would be the heir and all that good stuff. Three months after that was announced, Tarra kidnapped me. Six years later I the love of my life let me out-"

**_"You're in love?!"_** Everyone but Genkai screamed, standing up. Genkai just raised an eyebrow.

**_"Yes!_** Now I can I finish my damn story without being interrupted again!?" Hiei stood up and screamed back. Everyone else was so shocked by his sudden outburst, that they fell back in their chairs. Of course Genkai didn't fall back in her chair, she hadn't stood up, but she did make a face of displeasure when Hiei screamed.

"Certainly." Genkai glared at everyone else.

"Anyway, I got let out and the authorities noticed. So they took me to the court room, locked me in the Crystal there, then demanded that I explained why I was here. I didn't understand a single word they said, so was I sitting there clueless. That's when the Mother Crystal explained why I was brought here, thanked Tarra for bringing me, and bestowed on me three gifts." Everyone opened their mouths, but Genkai's glare kept them from saying anything. "She also did me a nice favor and made me fluent in Crystilian as any of the natives."

"Two of those gifts were abilities that all Galen have. The first one was the ability to move things though Crystals, including myself. The second one was this bracelet," he held up his right arm and pulled back his sleeve to show them the gold chain bracelet. It had a small red Crystal which was glowing on it, "which serves the same purpose as those be-spelled bandages I have rotting somewhere in one of my drawers. And the third gift is what the Galen call 'Knowledge of Placement'." Hiei paused knowing that Genkai's glare was not going to silence his friends.

"What the hell does that do?" Yusuke wondered.

"It allows me to Know where something is, why it's there, and if it is moving somewhere. And that thing can be a person or animal. I also Know where it is in proportion to myself, so I could potentially give you directions as to how you get there. And I could tell you some things about it, like about how big it is, or if it has something like a tattoo on it." Hiei explained. Yusuke decided to test this.

"Where is the woman you love?" He asked.

"She's currently in the main courtyard." Hiei's pupils had turned an orangey yellow when he said this.

"What is she wearing?"

"She's wearing a red robe with a orange waist band." Hiei answered. "Oh Yusuke!"

"What Hiei?"

"If you ask another question like that, I'm going to _gently_ shove my boot into your crouch." Hiei was smiling sweetly, which disturbed Yusuke.

"Hiei, did you know that your pupils turn orangey yellow whenever you use that Knowledge thing of yours?" Kurama asked, having been unsettled by this.

"No." Hiei blinked with amazement at this. _'Then again, that's the same with all Galen when they suddenly Know something. Of course I'm no exception!'_ He explained it to himself.

"Here's something really interesting about my Knowledge, I'm the only one with that particular one. All Galen have some form of Knowledge and it comes out in different ways. Most of the time it acts a specificated sixth sense. For me, it only comes when I'm asked a direct question that I did not ask the other person to ask me." Hiei added.

"So if you needed to Know something and you asked me to ask you about it, you wouldn't Know, correct?" Kurama wondered.

"Yes." Hiei checked the watch on his left wrist. "I'll explain the Mother Crystal to you, then I've gotta fly." Everyone nodded. "No interrupting, I haven't the time." Hiei glared at everyone except Genkai, who he just nodded to.

"The Crystals here have souls inside them." Hiei reached across the table and picked up his little Crystal. He held it up. "Even this one. Crystals are also full of _Reiki_. The larger the Crystal, the more _Reiki_. Now, the largest Crystal with the most _Reiki_ also happens to be the oldest. That Crystal is the Mother Crystal and is the only one capable of speech. The Mother Crystal is the highest authority around here and can easily send enough _Reiki_ through your system to kill an S-class demon." Everyone swallowed their saliva.

"Now isn't that a vivid thought?" Hiei asked in a mocking tone. "And that's why people don't argue with Her." He glanced at his watch again and stood up. "I've got to go." He picked up his papers which chose to explode again. "Dammit!"

Yusuke and the others jumped out of their seats and put the papers into a neat, unorganized stack.

"You should learn how to carry- holy shit!" Yusuke had begun but was startled to find that he was looking up at Hiei. Who had stepped backwards in surprise only to bump into Kuwabara.

"Holy f---ing shit! When did the midget get taller than me!?" Kuwabara yelled. Hiei turned around to discover that he was about four inches taller than Kuwabara in his one inch boots. Hiei's pupils turned yellow.

"When I was let out of this Crystal," he pointed to the one in his hand, "the person who was doing it didn't know how tall I was supposed to be so she guessed and made me this height." His eyes returned to normal. "I thought I had trouble moving around because I'd been shrunk, but I didn't have any idea that it was because I got taller!" Hiei was disturbed.

_'I'm looking _down_ at Kuwabara! Now that's just wrong!'_ He thought disbelief.

"Alright you over-expanded nitwit, don't you have somewhere else to be?" Genkai reminded him.

"Oh yeah. Bye!" Hiei left, not in a hurried, but in an absolutely-scared-out-of-his-mind kind of run.

"That's just crazy! He gets weird powers, a girlfriend, and _taller_. What next?" Kuwabara wondered.

"He gets married, a few kids, a country, and his best friends back." Genkai answered with a smile.

"What?!" Everyone stared at her.

"Well, he's a Prince so he'll have to have a wife, at least one child, and country whether or not he wants it. But he did miss us quite a bit, he wanted to hug us after all." Everyone nodded as Genkai explained herself. "I think he's further down that road than he wanted us to know…."

"What are you talking about _Ba-san_?" Yusuke gave her a questioning look.

"He didn't Know what is love was wearing. He just remembered it." Genkai remarked.

"Prove it _Ba-san_!" Yusuke challenged her.

"His pupils didn't turn yellow when he answered that. Also he had paused, as if he was _remembering_ something, before he answered." Genkai looked at the boys. "Was I the only one who paid any attention when we were told to notice those stupid little things people do when they're talking!? That was probably the most important lesson for this mission! You might think we are done, but we are far from it! We need to know _why_ Hiei was made the heir, and that's something I doubt he even Knows!" She screamed at them.

"Well, not to be rude or anything, but shouldn't we start with figuring out who Hiei is in love with? Because that person will probably be of some help with figuring out how Hiei changed." Keiko suggested. Genkai nodded.

"She's right, we have to figure out this new Hiei first."

AN: Surprise, surprise! Hiei got taller by no intention of his own. I'm sorry slave2anime, I had told you that all the change was mental then I slip this on you…. --cries, on knees begging for forgiveness-- I'm so sorry! But look at it in the light, the fact that he's taller means there's more of him to be sexy and stuff like that (I will not share with the other readers what I am thinking but its right up Yusuke's alley, that's for darn sure). Also Kairos is about 5' 10" and having a romantic moment with someone who's a foot shorter than you is a bit awkward (that's the real reason why Hiei got taller). Anyway review if you want me to continue! I need a serious ego boost after posting this part (its that down feeling you get after you got did something emotional, you know? I have no insparation for writing (and my writers' block isn't helping me!)). R&R!!


	13. Three Different People, One Body part 4

AN: It's me! I've updated! Last part! Hurray for moi! Please excuse my French. I'm sorry about the lack of prompedness (I'm writing this on the 'Quick Edit' thing has and I can't make the spell check work -.-;;. So if something is hidiously miss-spelled, it's not my fault!) of this update. My account had been suppended because I had written two illegal stories in the past (I had forgotten about them....) and you get the rest. If you're really mad, go after the people for not allowing script stories and when they're going to take them off, not warning the author. Enough of my rants: here's your long awaited chapter!

Something is not quiet right…

Chapter 4: Three Different People, One Body (part 4)

Suichi looked out the window in boredom. His mother was talking to his teacher about his sister and he got sent to the waiting room. He saw a bit of moment. And in the next moment he saw his father standing there, his back against a tree, glancing in panic over his shoulder in the direction her had come from. When he saw no-one he slumped down into a sitting position at the foot of the tree, and breathed a sigh of relief.

Suichi continued to stare at his father in curiosity. His father realized he was being watched and turned his head to face the watcher. His expression had gone back into panic mode. But then he saw his son's face staring at him through a window, he calmed down again. Hiei stood up and picked up his things. He walked over to the window and tapped on it.

Suichi opened the window and helped his father in.

"Daddy, are you okay? You look like you saw a ghost!" Suichi was worried. Hiei patted his son on the head.

"I think I just did…." Hiei's eyes were distant, as they always were when he remembered things from his pervious life. "But after twenty years, who wouldn't?" He added.

"Daddy?" Hiei looked down at his son and smiled.

"I just saw some people who mean a lot to me for the first time in a long time." Hiei laughed. "I just don't want to believe it was real. But it was…." Hiei sat down and looked out the window.

Hiei began to hum the first few bars of the song he was writing. "Soft, white glow on your face, as we dance in the Crystal's embrace. The colors soft, and pictures blur. Circles within circles, as the dance works miracles; we become something unreal." He sang softy to his son.

"Daddy, what was that?" Suichi looked at his father, confused.

"It's a song that I'm writing. Do you want to hear the next part?" Hiei offered his son.

"…Yes." Suichi climbed onto his father's lap and looked up intently.

"Under the night's warm cloak, the swinging clock's stoke. Midnight is tune-ly struck, dancers step beyond the world's muck. And so the circle spins 'round 'gain, as our souls melt into the dance by Crystal light." Hiei sang softly, rocking to the tempo. Suichi smiled.

"It's pretty…." The little boy observed.

"Yes, it is…." Hiei's expression became disappointed. "Of course that's all I have. It's about the night your mother and I got married. Lord! We danced 'til dawn!" Hiei remembered how badly his feet hurt from that. Suichi laughed.

That's when the door to the office opened to reveal Kairos and Keiko.

"Well you boys certainly made yourselves busy! Etric, I need you to take over here." Hiei stood up and set his son on the floor to comply to his wife's command.

"Well, Colin[1], it looks like its your turn now!" Mrs. Loom remarked to her student. Suichi nodded and walked into her office Hiei was about to follow suit when his wife stopped him. She stood up on her toes and whispered into his ear.

"They were real, love." She assured him.

* * *

"I'm so sorry I'm late! I was a parent-teacher conference with my daughter and we ran over the allotted time!" Kairos was flustered, partly from running, partly from embarrassment. 

"That's okay! We needed some recovery time before we did anything else." Botan explained. It was true, after the conversation with Hiei, the group went into post-shock trauma and was unable to do anything. Now that they had escaped from their zoning, they could concentrate on the more important matter at hand.

"Kairos, could you possibly arrange for us to have another meeting with the Prince?" Genkai asked.

"Yes, I could! When do you want to see him again?"

"As soon as possible." Kurama answered, speaking for everyone.

"How's about tonight at diner? He normally eats in private, but I'm certain he could allow for your little group to join him." Kairos smiled and added to herself, _'They've had a few good shockers, I'll eat with the kids elsewhere.'_

"Kairos, did you know that the Prince was a born-foreigner?" Yusuke wondered.

"Yes, what about that?"

"You see, he's an old friend of ours…." Yusuke began.

------------------

[1]- Suichi, like his father, has a public name. That name happens to be Colin. Keiko's public name is Olivia.

AN: This chapter is so puny in comparison to the last one, forgive me. But that's all that's left in the chapter! Anyway here's my reviewer responses:

YaoiYaoiYeah- It rocks? I'm glad you thing so! Oh the origami thing, I don't know where I got that but I felt like Kurama would need something to do with his hands and what does one do with paper? Fold it! Tarra is meant to be scary, wait until Hiei talks about her. You love my fic? Yay! I feel so acomplished! I am going to continue now that I can post again!

MoonSilverEyes- Can do, will do, am doing!

Element Panther- Glad you like it! And I'm already to make tomorrow's post!

SamiKismet- You know, I had almost actually not posted this chapter until I realized that I'd be brunt at the stake by my loyal reviewers. -- panicked face -- You were planning on hurrling those messy projectitles at me!? Eeep! Good thing I listened to my sixth sense! Anyway, I'm going to continue, though I hate to imagine what everyone will think of the end I have planned. I hope I don't find myself writting a sequal... (though, I probably will).

slave2anime- I am forgiven? -- whipes away tears -- Thanks! I felt so bad doing that to you. The funny part about Hiei getting taller is that Kuwabara tends to forget and call him "shrimp", "midget", and "shorty". Kairos and Genkai have to remind everyone (including Hiei) that Hiei is taller. I'm sorry to hear that you had to flame someone, I'm just glad you didn't flame me. Thanks for sticking with my story though.

Donamarine- The answer is in the next chapter! And the origami part started second paragraph, third sentence: "Kurama started folding the paper in his hands to keep his mind distracted enough not to go off the edge" (Bar-Ohki, chapter 4, part 3). I feel a bit crazy for properly documenting that….

KayHiei- You did? Thanks! I feel loved. Here's your wondrous update!

Bishounenlvr- I promised that in the first chapter, first part and I plan to continue doing that until the very end! Oh everything works itself out, I'm not the type for sad endings (I really hate those, do you think I could stand to write one?). Thanks for answering my questions, it was bugging me. I won't harass you in my reviews about that. Do update your story and I'll update mine!

animefreak54- I'm… -- sniff -- not worthy of such praise! I'm updating for you! I'm sorry it's kindda short, the next one will be longer!

baka-onna2003- Are you alive? Because the last thing I need is a guilt trip from killing one of my reviewers. Thanks for helping me get inspired!

Since I have nothing more to say other than the next update will be real soon, R&R!!


	14. Twins part 1

AN: I'm sorry I missed yesterday! Evil relatives randomly dropping in! Here's the new chapter!

Something is not quite right…

Chapter 5: Twins (part 1)

Kuwabara began to work on his sandwich. He wasn't sure what all was in it, but it tasted pretty good. The Galen milled around the courtyard, rudely ignoring one another. Kairos had said that being cold-hearted was the way of the city Galen.

Yusuke ate his sandwich as if it was his first meal in years, but then again, Yusuke always ate his food that way. Keiko was eating her sandwich slowly, as if she wanted to enjoy each individual flavor. Botan and Kurama didn't seem to be paying attention to their sandwiches, they were looking around at the scenery. Genkai ate her sandwich at a normal pace, probably paying attention to the movement of every person in the courtyard.

Kuwabara decided to throw open his spiritual senses to sense what he could. He found what must have been the Mother Crystal immediately, because it was so hugely powerful.

**: What have we here? :** A voice inside Kuwabara's head asked.

: A foreigner, who was perhaps, a bit too nosey…. : Kuwabara had just used his one polite phrase for the day.

**: Hee…hee…hee! I see that you are an old acquaintance of my adopted son…. :** Kuwabara assumed She was talking about Hiei.

: Yes, I came here to find him and bring him home, but it appears as though that won't be the case…. :

**: You know that we need him here desperately. 'But why?' comes to your mind. I will not give you that answer, but I will warn you to brace yourself; all will become clear when a certain thing is done a second time and three children are spared from hatred's grasp. :** Kuwabara felt the Mother Crystal leave his mind. Her voice sounded like a child, but it was wise.

Kuwabara looked down at his sandwich to discover that there was no longer a sandwich there. He looked at Yusuke who was talking to Keiko about the color red in clothes.

_'It wasn't Urameshi, he's too far into conversation with Keiko to have had stolen it.'_ Kurama and Botan were almost done with their sandwiches, which meant that they had no reason to take his. Genkai had a half eaten sandwich laying next to her. She was sleeping. _'Defiantly not Genkai. So where is my sandwich?"_

That's when he sensed a familiar presence that he hadn't even considered as an option: Hiei. He was in the tree above everyone, hidden.

"You little bastard! Give me back my sandwich!" Kuwabara had stood up as he yelled this so suddenly, that everyone just about used their Spirit energy to attack him.

"Damn…." Hiei dropped the sandwich onto Genkai's lap. Genkai tossed it to Kuwabara, who caught it.

"You must think you're such hot stuff because you're so _tall_ now! Well, you're wrong you ass! Now come down here and fight me like a man!" Kuwabara demanded.

"What if I refuse?" Hiei mocked back.

"Then I'll kick your lard-ass out of the tree!" Genkai snapped at him, she had stood up. "You're the one dimwit who's always causing trouble! One would think that you would grow up over twenty years!"

Hiei hopped out of the tree and landed next to Genkai. He had changed out of the blue robe and into a pair of dark red pants with a forest green tank top. All the clothes he wore sparkled and shimmered, like a Galen's hair. He was wearing the black boots that were a trademark of his, but they currently seemed dull in comparison to the other articles he wore.

"Why did you change clothes?" Botan wondered.

"I don't exercise in formal attire." He retorted.

"What's with the whole feminine sparkle get-up?" Yusuke asked.

"My clothes happen to be made out of strands of Crystal, _just like everyone else's around here_." Hiei glared at Yusuke for not noticing something so obvious.

"Hiei, may I ask a personal question?" Kurama actually learned something from the envoy training they had had. But Kurama had always been very formal to start with.

"Shoot."

"Are we ever going to meet this girlfriend of yours?" Hiei turned red and looked away.

"I'll take that as a yes." Hiei snapped his gaze back at Kurama, still red.

"You will take that as 'undecided'!" The redness began to expand away from his face.

"Oooh! Looks like we hit the 'fragile, handle with care' buttons on our 'there is no such thing!' friend." Kuwabara joined Yusuke in laughter after Yusuke teased Hiei.

The laughter stopped when Yusuke and Kuwabara found themselves on the ground with a mouth full of dirt and a large bump on the back of their heads.

"Shut-up you perverted scum!" Hiei yelled at them, still very red.

"We should give our old friend a chance to cool down before we start teasing him. I thought I told you that this is what happens if you don't do that with Hiei." Kurama reminded the two dirt-eaters.

"Hn! See if I'm ever helpful to you again!" Hiei looked away from them, pissed off. Yusuke and Kuwabara got up.

"Aw, come on Hiei! This is the first time we've had any real opportunity to tease you about anything. You know me, the rude delinquent!" Yusuke piped at Hiei.

"I'll forgive you if you grovel." Hiei said this with a mischievous smirk.

"Grovel!?"

"Both of you." Hiei pointed to the two in question. They opened their mouths to protest and Hiei interrupted them. "That is if you want to hear the secrete I was planning on telling the lot of you."

"I can just get it from Kurama later!" Kuwabara remarked.

"Nice try, but I'm not telling anyone until you two grovel." Those not immediately involved in the groveling gave the two grovelers-to-be death glares.

"Alright! Alright!" Yusuke did the whole worshiping-bow thing. "Oh I am not worthy to even look at you, let alone beg for mercy!"

Kuwabara assumed a similar position. "I am an imbecile! I am a moron! Please forgive my incompetence!" He half-chanted.

"Damn, I should have those sorry bastards that come to me with their stupid problems- grovel!" Hiei remarked absently. "That was your cue to stop, it's a bit disturbing watching you guys…."

The groveling ceased.

"Now for your end of the deal, mister seriously spiky-haired man!" Kuwabara reminded his friend.

"What ever happened to the 'shorty' part?" Hiei wondered.

"You got taller." Genkai reminded Hiei.

"How silly of me to forget little details like that! Alright, I'll tell you my secrete on one condition." Hiei held up a finger to emphasize that he meant only one.

"And that is?" Keiko asked.

"That you do _not_ tease me _or_ my love about it." He glared at Yusuke.

"I won't tease you about that, I promise to let you pound me into the ground if I do." Yusuke swore.

"I won't tease you, and if I do you may…umm…." Kuwabara didn't know what to say.

"Steal your clothes for the rest of the week, save those ridiculous boxers you own[1]." Hiei finished.

"Okay…I guess."

"Well?" Hiei looked at the others expectantly.

"I won't tease you, if I do you have permission to light my dojo on fire." Genkai swore.

"I won't tease you, if I do you I will wear my underwear on the outside of my clothes." Botan swore.

"I won't tease you, if I do you may-"

"Let's just say I get to do whatever the hell I want to with you that night." Hiei finished for her. This earned him a well deserved glare from Yusuke.

"I won't tease you, for if I do, I cut open my arm and let a Death Grass seed take root inside of me." Kurama swore.

"That's good enough for me. Here's your little news flash: I don't technically have a girlfriend, I have a wife." Yusuke and Kuwabara were slack jawed, along with Botan. Kurama began to choke on his sandwich. Keiko was shaking her head in disbelief. And good ole Genkai raised an eyebrow, completely not caring about Hiei's new personal-life status.

**_"No way!"_ **Was the general response.

"Kairos just informed me that you wanted to come and have diner with me, is that right?"

"Yes." Said Genkai, the only one unfazed.

"Well you can meet my wife there. I'll see you guys tonight at seven in the Music Chamber. I'm certain you can find it." Hiei gave Kurama one lost reminder glare before he jumped away to continue his work out.

"Is it just me or has he gotten faster?" Yusuke wondered.

"He's gotten faster, it's been twenty years." Genkai confirmed.

---------------------

[1]- The Yokai were meeting at Kuwabara's house. Hiei was the first to arrive and was greeted by a half-awake Kuwabara in smiley-face boxers. Hiei refers to those as his 'ridiculous boxers'.

---------------------

AN: Review Responses! I feel a bit let down after all the reviews from the last chapter, but I did leave it hanging for a good few days (I couldn't help it!).

Donamarine- -- sighs -- You misspelled it again…. Thanks for the compliments! I hope to post the next chapter soon!

slave2anime- You gave me the highest complement an author could ever hope for! This chapter's for you! So is this cookie! -- gives slave2anime a cookie --

KayHiei- You can't wait? Well, that's coming up soon! Along with mystery and evil, screwed-up Tarra-ness.

MoonSilverEyes- About his daughter's name, he didn't want to name her after his sister, she'd get suspicious or something like that. And 'Genkai' is not a girl's name (I believe it's her last name) and would thus not make a good name for her. Besides, Kairos really liked the name 'Keiko' (that was the major deciding factor). Also, Hiei personally believes that Keiko had more patience than God because she was Yusuke's girlfriend, which gave her quite a bit of respect in his mind's eye.

Also! I had used the wrong word in the story title, so I changed it. That's all see you soon with another update! R&R!!


	15. Twins part 2

AN: I feel evil today.

Something is not quite right…

Chapter 5: Twins (part 2)

"You told then that you were married?" Kairos raised an eyebrow. She and her husband were standing on the "porch" of the little playground their children were in. Hiei was leaning on the rail.

The playground was where all the politicians sent their children to get away from them. Hiei and Kairos sent their children there to allow them to socialize with other children their own age. They all played together blissfully. Hiei smiled.

_'I wish that childish acceptance and innocence would be around the adults. It would make life a bit more bearable, but then who needs them? I've got the worlds' best set of friends back and the worlds' best wife. I should be the happiest demon alive! But that loss still hurts, more than anything else…. If I'm not careful, I'll break….'_ Hiei thought absently.

"Yes, I did. I also told them they'd meet you tonight." Hiei watched his son fall off the monkey bars and was forced to restrain himself from running over and catching the boy. Suichi would never get stronger if Hiei kept on saving him. Part of life was learning from pain.

"Hmm…. Let's tell them all the good news at the same time!" Kairos suggested.

"What?" Hiei was slightly confused.

"About what's going on right here." She put her hand on her abdomen. "We have to tell the children today, we promised them that. And we can tell your "brothers" about it as well, just for fairness." She smiled.

"Sure, why not?" Hiei got off the rail and gave his wife a hug. "They sure are happy." He remarked about his children.

"Happy children are the mark of good parents." Kairos informed her husband. "I think everyone will be happier with a few uncles around."

"Yeah, monkeys for uncles and angels for the nieces and nephews."

* * *

"Daddy said we have to wait here for some people." Keiko reminded her brother before he ran off. 

"Daddy didn't say what they looked like!" Suichi protested.

"Daddy did say we would know when we saw them!" Keiko reminded her brother again.

"Hey Kuwabara! Those kids look as weird as your face does ugly!" Yusuke teased pointing to the children in question.

"I do not look ugly!" He snapped.

"Is that who I think it is?" Suichi whispered to his sister.

"He did say 'Kuwabara'…." She informed him.

"Yusuke! Kuwabara! Quit fooling around! We're still envoys, everything we do is making an impression of some sort!" Botan sharply reminded them.

"Okay Botan, mighty ruler of the universe! We shall obey your ever command." Yusuke remarked sarcastically.

"Yusuke? Botan? Am I dreaming?" Suichi asked his sister, who pinched him.

"Nope."

"Kurama, Keiko, the three of us seem to be the only ones with sense around here." Genkai observed.

"I believe you're right about that Master Genkai." Keiko nodded in agreement to Kurama's statement.

"Genkai!? Kurama!? _Keiko!?_" The children whispered to one another.

"Is that the lady I was named after?" Keiko whispered to her brother.

"Colin! Olivia! Where are you two?" Kairos called as she wandered around. The two children immediately disappeared. Kairos walked in.

"Oh, hello. I'm looking for my children."

"Haven't seen them, ma'am." Yusuke remarked and Kairos wandered away, still calling out for her children. "Where's that old little bastard of ours?"

"Right behind you, looming over you head." Hiei answered. Yusuke jumped away and looked rather surprised.

_'Oh yeah, Hiei got taller!'_ Yusuke reminded himself. "Hi Hiei. Where have you been?"

"Right here the entire time. Now are you coming to diner or not?" Hiei waved at the others in greeting. He had changed back into his formal attire.

"Right, right…." Yusuke nodded his head.

AN: Evil, aren't I? Man, this is the second nasty cliffhanger I've done in this fic…. I should do this more often! Review Responses:

animefreak54- I updated again! -- has a party with her muse and the reviewer she is currently responding to, there is lots of sugary substances and plenty of bishonen running about -- Heh! -- takes off party hat -- Well, if we need more stories like mine, I'll have to write a few more, no? -- realizes what she just said -- Dang! I do have some other stuff, if that helps…. (I have too many stories to be keeping track of right now….)

Donamarine- But did you see the other ones? I keep writing until this thing it done!

baka-onna2003- You can? Wait until we get there, it's in the next part!

SamiKismet- At dinner? What about after? -- crackles manically -- There's quite a bit we don't see happening right now. Hee! I shall spoil you no more!

Before I respond to the next review, I'd like to say that I am _not_ responsible for any of the actions my reviewers do when on sugar-highs that I gave them virtual sugar to initiate. Please do not sue me or hold me responsible!

slave2anime- I better do that you'll die! Wow! I never thought I'd be writing for someone's life! I'd better call Koenma in….

MoonSilverEyes- When? Next part. Does Hiei have any friends? Sadly no, he's been outcasted for being foreign. But things are going to turn in his favor, Valia Knows.

Now that I'm done being evil, R&R!!


	16. Twins part 3

AN: Well, they finally get to meet the little family Hiei put together. Long chapter I've ever written, just for you!

Something is not quite right…

Chapter 5: Twins (part 3)

_'Isn't this Kairos' room?'_ Keiko thought to herself as Hiei opened the door to his bedroom and let everyone in.

The room was _huge_. It had lilac walls with a navy blue carpeted floor. There was Queen sized canopy bed in the far corner. To the right of it were two doors, most people correctly assumed these were dressing rooms. To the left of the bed was a large desk, covered in untidy papers. To the right of the door was a small kitchen-like set-up which had black crystal floor rather than carpet. In the vast open space of the room there were two couches and a coffee table. Across from the door there was a much abused, over-stuffed chair with a standing lamp next to it.

"Nice pad." Yusuke commented absently.

"Yup, everything one would need in an apartment all in the convenience of one over-sized bedroom." Kurama added.

"I live here." Hiei said simply. He motioned for everyone to take a seat on the couch.

"I believe you had the kitchen added on." Genkai said while looking at it.

"Yes, and it created a massive ordeal. All I wanted was something to cook my tea on in my personal time…." Hiei half-babbled.

"Wait! Kitchen! Are you telling me that we're about to eat your cooking?" Kuwabara was terrified.

"Yes, it's not that bad, or my wife would be cooking. It's not considered good taste to poison your friends right after you just saw them for the first time in twenty years." Hiei walked over to the kitchen and brought back some cups.

"Why don't you use your Jagan? Aren't you powerful enough to cook without your hands?" Kuwabara asked mockingly.

"Because some _idiot_," Hiei glanced at Kurama, "shinned enough light into to it to irritate it!"

"I'm sorry!" Kurama held up his arms in surrender.

"Wait! Do you mean that you would have otherwise?" Yusuke asked him in utter disbelief.

"Yes. And I would have been pretty damn subtitle about it too. After all it's the only way I can practice using my _Yoki_ without freaking someone out." Hiei handed Keiko a glass as answered Yusuke's question.

"Sooo, where's this wife of yours?" Yusuke looked around. He leaned back and set his shoes on the coffee table.

"It was nice knowing you…." Hiei muttered absently.

"What?" Keiko asked, having heard him.

"Nothing!"

"Nothing?"

"Well, actually, my wife's gonna kill Yusuke for putting his shoes on the table, but that's just a minor detail, isn't it?" Yusuke took his feet off the table.

"My shoes never touched that table, right Kuwabara?" Yusuke turned to his oblivious friend.

"What?" Yusuke elbowed him in the side.

"Right Kuwabara?"

"Oh! Right…." Kuwabara didn't know what the hell was going on with that, but he just assumed that Yusuke would stop elbowing him if he said yes. During this time Hiei had ran over to the kitchen, grabbed a pitcher full of juice, and ran back. He began pouring glasses.

"Well, Hiei, since she doesn't appear to be around could you at least tell us her name?" Kurama looked up at his friend as he had his glass filled with the black juice.

"Is this stuff safe to drink?" Keiko eyed the glass full of black juice suspiciously. Hiei poured himself a glass and drank it.

"Do I appear to be having any problems?" He asked Keiko.

"No…."

"Then you can assume that it won't give you any problems ether." Hiei refilled his glass and turned to pour Kuwabara some.

"What is this stuff?" Kuwabara held up his glass of black juice.

"It's the juice from a Tapi Orange[1]. That was the fruit you had with your lunch." Hiei added the last bit so they would know what he was talking about. Kuwabara shrugged and took a sip.

"Wow! This stuff's great!" He commented. Hiei chuckled.

"It happens to be one of the fruits that children are ticked into eating and liking." Hiei explained.

"Are you avoiding answering the one question everyone's been asking?" Genkai gave Hiei a look.

"I just thought that could wait until she arrives…. What is taking her so long anyways?" Hiei thought out loud. "It's not like her to be this late…."

"Please tell us her name Hiei! It's gotten really hard to wait!" Botan was literally sitting on the edge of her seat. Hiei set the pitcher on the table and sat down next to Kurama.

"Well if you must know…" Hiei began absently playing with his wedding ring, which no-one had noticed he even had up until then, "her name is Kairos Skyeyes."

**_"What!?"_** Hiei was just about blown off the couch by the yell. Yusuke and Kuwabara gave Hiei the most intense look of disownment possible. Keiko and Botan looked freaked out. Kurama and Genkai sat back and waited for Hiei's logical explanation behind this.

"Blasphemy!" Botan gasped. Hiei stared at her with a raised eyebrow.

"What the hell is up with you?

"She said she was married to a guy name Etric!" Keiko yelled. Hiei burst out laughing at the miscommunication he had managed to stumble across.

"Hiei?" Genkai raised an eyebrow. Hiei managed to get control of himself.

"Etric is my public name. They can't say 'Hiei' here because they have no 'H' sound." Hiei took a few deep breaths to keep himself from laughing again. "She always calls me by my public name around officials, even if they happen to be old friends of mine."

"That does explain her accent…." Genkai remarked absently.

"Wait a minute! If you're Kairos' husband, then you're the father of her two children?" Kuwabara tied one and two together. Suddenly everyone was staring at Hiei.

"Yes, he is." Kairos said simply as she walked over, setting a bag down on the table. The little children behind her became startled and hide behind the couch, right behind Hiei. Hiei casually picked up one of his children by their shirt collar and pulled them around onto his lap.

"Oh look what I managed to catch…." Hiei said half-sarcastically as he held his squirming son in place.

"Hey! That's the kid from earlier!" Yusuke remarked. He was promptly bopped on the back of the head by Kairos.

"You lied!" She snapped in disgruntlement.

"How was I supposed to know that was your kid!?" Yusuke defended himself.

"His Jagan should have tipped you off.[2]" Hiei remarked. "Stop it now!" And the little boy squirmed harder.

"Perhaps he'd rather sit on Genkai's lap…." Kurama suggested jokingly. The boy stopped his squirming.

"Genkai?" The boy looked excited and surprised.

"I told you I was going to have my old friends come to diner tonight, this is not news!" Hiei bopped his son on the back of the head. Just then Hiei's daughter came out from behind the couch and shyly walked up to Keiko.

"It's a pleasure to meet you at last." She gave a little bow with a small smile.

"I'm Keiko, what's your name?" Keiko smiled at the polite little girl.

"Now why can't you be like that?" Hiei whispered to his son. Kurama snickered.

"Which one?" The girl wondered innocently.

"Tell her, both." Kairos confirmed for her.

"My public name is Olivia." Everyone nodded, understanding why she would need two names, like her father. "But my real name," she turned red and finished sheepishly, "is Keiko." The elder Keiko became surprised and looked at Hiei.

"I thought she should be named after one of the most respectable women I know." Hiei explained.

"Hey kid! What's your name?" Yusuke asked the boy sitting on Hiei's lap.

"My public name is Colin and my real name is Suichi!" With that he leaped unexpectedly out of Hiei's arms and landed on Kuwabara's lap. Suichi looked at Kuwabara.

"You're not ugly." Suichi remarked. Kurama looked at Hiei.

"I'm touched." Kurama remarked.

"Huh?" The little boy was confused. Kurama looked at with an expression that asked 'does he know?'. Hiei nodded.

"The human part of me is named Minamino Suichi." Kurama explained.

"Awesome!" The boy hopped off Kuwabara's lap and ran over to Yusuke. "Did you really believe Kuwabara had died when Tougro had attacked him? Daddy said you looked so depressed and your _Reiki_ made everyone else as depressed as you. Is it true?" He was literally bouncing up and down. Yusuke sat there wide-eyed from over-exposure to the enthusiasm of little Suichi.

"Suichi, perhaps he needs a moment to breath; he has taken in a lot today." Hiei recommended as he pulled his son away, giving Yusuke a 'I'm sorry about all this' look. Suichi began to squirm in his father's arms with a vengeance.

"Hmm…. I would think that Hiei would teach his son how to get out of someone else's grasp…." Genkai commented with an evil twinkle in her eye. Hiei glared at her.

"Why would you think that Genkai?" Botan asked cluelessly.

"Ack!" Hiei cried as his son broke free. Suichi ran around the table, heightening the chance of knocking things over. Kairos picked up her boy who went limp.

"That's interesting…." Kurama remarked, observing Suichi's behavior. The little Keiko giggled.

"Don't you know anything? Woman are the rulers of the house!" She continued her uncontrollable giggling.

"I can't believe that! Not with someone like Hiei!" Yusuke remarked.

"Oh you can, you just need it translated into your type of terms." Kairos smiled.

"What do you mean by that?" Botan wondered.

"I'll translate." Hiei elected. "Yusuke, what hurts more? Getting slapped by Keiko or punched in the face by Kuwabara?"

"Keiko's slaps!" Yusuke gave him a look that said 'isn't that oblivious?'.

"Well if it's so oblivious then you can see why my son won't cause his mother any of the trouble he causes me!" Hiei glared at him.

"Non-Hiei phrase, yet a very Hiei look…." Kurama observed.

Kairos tapped Hiei on the shoulder and whispered something in his ear. He looked her in the eye then shook his head.

"Later." He told her. Everyone stared at the two curiously. "I'll go make dinner now." Hiei said quickly as if that had been the true topic of their conversation, but that wasn't the case. Hiei picked up the bag Kairos had hauled in and began to walk over to the kitchen with it.

"Can I have a guarantee in writing that says eating your cooking won't kill me?" Kuwabara called over. Hiei spun around and snapped.

"Do you honestly think I'm trying to kill you!?"

_"Yes!"_ Everyone responded.

"He's a better cook than me." Kairos commented. Everyone stared at her.

"I've had his cooking before and it was…. Let's just say I'd only eat it again if I had a death wish." Kurama said quickly.

"Daddy got formal lessons." Keiko explained as she sat down between Genkai and Botan.

Hiei began running about the kitchen taking out various pots, pans, and ingredients. He would set things on the stove while he would grind some herbs. Or he would be stirring the contents of a pot while frying something else on a burner. Well, Hiei was running about faster than the eye could trace and more often than not, doing two things at once.

"And the greatest part is that he does all the dishes afterwards!" Kairos said with a smile. She sat down next to Kurama.

"He does the dishes?" Genkai was stunned at this.

"Mm-hmm!" Suichi nodded vigorously.

"So Kairos, how long have the two of you been married?" Keiko was trying to make some simple conversation at this point.

"Fourteen years." She smiled and rubbed her son's head affectionately.

"I see…." Yusuke had a devilish look on his face. He opened his mouth to ask something very perverted, but his attention had a quick sift to the back of his head, where a pan of some sort had made a forceful contact with his skull.

_"Don't you dare!!"_ Hiei bellowed from the kitchen. He went back to his cooking as if nothing had even happened.

"I think his Jagan stopped hurting…." Kurama sat there a bit wide-eyed at Yusuke. Actually everyone was a bit wide-eyed at Yusuke, who had swirly eyes. The pan that had been thrown levitated up and over to the kitchen.

"Me too." Botan remarked, a bit stunned.

"I've never seen him so vicious!" Kairos remarked.

"That's because he's never had a reason to protect you." Genkai explained.

"What?"

"The only weapon I've seen in the country is the sword at Hiei's side." Genkai began. "When I look at the Galen, they are not physically intimidating at all. Also, I've yet to see a guard around this castle. No-one around here wants to mess with you Kairos, you're a lot stronger than most of the young men![3]" Genkai pointed out.

Kairos was stunned. Hiei had told her time after time that she was one of the strongest people here. she thought he had meant that emotionally, or figuratively; but she never, ever believed he meant that physically as well. She looked at herself and then at the other women in the room. Keiko was nice and curvy, but she wasn't strong. Botan had a bit of muscle, but that was probably developed from running around after Yusuke as his assistant….

Now Genkai was strong. She was old, but she was one the fittest people Kairos had ever seen. but then again, Genkai did compete in the Dark Tournament on Team Urameshi. She won many battles, at her age. Thus explained her physical condition. Kairos wasn't as strong as Genkai, but she was a lot stronger than Botan.

_'Hiei doesn't need to protect me from other Galen. But why did he hit Yusuke for my sake?'_ Kairos wondered.

: To protect you from his perverted mind. : Hiei answered her telepathically. Kairos remembered what Hiei had said about Yusuke: 'He's offensive and perverted.'. It sadly described Yusuke in a nut shell.

Suddenly everyone had a tray in their lap with a bowl of a purple stew, a glass of green juice, and a plate of some random meat substance. It smelled different but it was actually pleasant. Though no-one was particularly interested in eating it. In short: it looked too foreign. Hiei walked over with his tray hovering to his left and a tray of sliver wear in his hands.

He passed the utensils out to everyone. Kuwabara held the fork up and looked at it.

"What's this for?" He couldn't help but to ask.

"It's a fork, you stab it into your food to ether keep it in place or to pick it up." Kairos explained as Hiei handed her a set. "You something funny? Hiei asked me the same question, except he had a spoon!" Kurama and Keiko burst out laughing, knowing what a spoon was.

"Is this edible?" Genkai eyed the purple liquid like she would poison.

"Look, I'm not trying to kill you! This is an isolated land where there are rare plants and animals that don't live anywhere else, so the people use them for eating because they can't leave this place to get other ingredients. That's why it _looks_ weird, but the _tastes_ should be familiar. Besides this is my best dish!" Hiei gave them death glares.

The children were oblivious to their father's tirade and started eating their food. Yusuke looked at the children who seemed to be enjoying it, then at his own food. He did this a few times then he glanced at Hiei who was eating his portion while happily chatting with Kurama about baseball.

"So that's what he was doing!" Hiei remarked, then shoved a piece of the meet into his mouth. Yusuke turned to look at Kairos, who was talking to Botan and Keiko about dresses. Kairos would politely stick some food in her mouth while the other two exchanged their opinions about whatever part of the dress they where talking about. Hiei and his family were the only ones eating.

"Aw, screw it!" All eyes fell on Yusuke as he closed his eyes as he took a spoonful of soup and put it in his mouth. Hiei sat intently on the edge of his chair waiting for Yusuke's response. "If it's gonna kill me eating it; it was sure as hell worth it!" Yusuke began to eat like a mannerless pig.

Kairos was appalled by both his language and his manners. Hiei smiled at Yusuke's predictable behavior. The children stared at him for a moment then went back to their food as if nothing happened. Everyone else thought: _'Yusuke's outburst aside, the food is edible and tasty.'_ and went about consuming their dinner.

After everyone was done eating Hiei sent the dishes back to the kitchen, were they appeared to wash themselves. Kuwabara could barely sense that Hiei was manipulating his _Yoki_ and he could not sense that he was using any to wash the dishes. He was right when he said was going to be subtitle. It was as if he wasn't even thinking about it. From the level Hiei was at, it took an obvious effort to move an object of small size and weight; now it was as if he wasn't even _thinking_ about it.

"Hiei, how have you been training?" Kuwabara couldn't help but ask, even though Hiei was in mid-sentence while commenting on the Galen bureaucracy. Hiei turned and looked at him, his Jagan wasn't even glowing, but then, there was a sparkling white cloth over it….

"If you're talking about my telepathic abilities, I just do little everyday things with it while I'm physically do other things. And if you want to know about fighting abilities, that's what I do during the lunch hour." He turned back to Kurama and finished his comment.

But that was when Hiei remembered something.

"Yusuke! I need to talk to you!" Hiei called over and beckoned Yusuke. Yusuke was, a few moments later, standing behind the couch, looming over Hiei. Hiei signaled him to lean over. "Privately." He pointed to the door nearest the bed. Yusuke nodded.

The two men walked over and entered the room. It was an impressive sight. The far wall was filled with drawer upon drawer of clothes. The left and right walls were mirrors, angled perfectly so that one could see their backside and frontside at the same time. In the middle of the room there was a pillar with doors on all four sides (obviously the wardrobe) and to the left there was a little bench.

_Snap!!_

Yusuke's sixth sense was telling him that being shut in a room with Hiei was a bad thing. A **_very_** bad thing. Hiei had the world's most evil smirk on his face, something that he had never forgotten.

"Yusuke, you made a comment about my children that I'm not too fond of…." Hiei said this sweetly, his face now wearing a disturbing smile. Yusuke began to look about desperately for an exit. Hiei was between him and the only one, and Yusuke knew better than to try to go through him.

"W-when was t-that?" Yusuke was sweating bullets, knowing full-well when he had made the comment about how weird they looked. Hiei's face turned back to the smirk.

"You know, when a man starts stuttering and sweating profusely, that means that that person is scared." Yusuke opened his mouth to say something but was promptly silenced by Hiei's raised finger and advancement forward.

_'I've heard this before, but not so intense….'_ Some remote part of Yusuke's mind thought.

"To a politician that is certain death for the one under control by fear-" Yusuke's mind interrupted Hiei.

_'The classroom in Renkai! But why there?'_ Yusuke began to involuntarily back away. Hiei advanced.

"-And I am a politician. A very," step, "_very_," step, "**_very_**," step, "good politician." Hiei stopped advancing and stood up, putting space between himself and Yusuke. "Now, where do you stand?"

_'The envoy classes! …Oh shit, I'm so dead….'_ Yusuke was crushed beneath Hiei's intimidating air.

"At death's door?" Yusuke stabbed in the dark. Hiei raised his eyebrows in mild surprise.

"You certainly got that right! Now you will earn my forgiveness…." Hiei gave Yusuke an unsettling smirk.

"Really?" Yusuke seemed to have forgotten the fix he was in.

**THUAMP!!**

Yusuke was on the ground, his eyes swirly and his cheek swelling.

"That felt good…." Hiei muttered absently as he left, examining his right fist, which had but moments ago been smashing into Yusuke's jaw.

After a while Yusuke came out of the dressing room and rejoined everyone with a swollen cheek. When Hiei was asked about it he looked away innocently.

_'I wonder why….'_ Was all Kurama had to think on that matter.

The rest of the night passed with basic get-to-know-you conversation between everyone and Kairos and catching-up conversation between everyone and Hiei. The children sat there, ignored. And they quietly made comments about "the real thing" and "the stories". That was until Suichi cleared his throat, catching everyone's attention.

"Daddy, why don't you sing that song you sang to me earlier? Keiko wants to hear it." He requested.

"Ah! So the all-mighty music writer took a crack at lyrics! Let's see what kind of damage he did." Kuwabara taunted him. Hiei turned mildly red.

"You sing?" Genkai raised an eyebrow.

"Let's hear it, Hiei!" Yusuke and Kurama yelled. Keiko and Botan gave him looks that said they wanted to hear it, but didn't want to say anything.

"I don't-" Hiei began.

"You did?" Kairos' eyes lit up. "You're such a talented man!" She pretended as if he never sang around her, which he didn't, in public.

"I give up, you win." He raised his hands in surrender. "I'll sing it."

"Yay!" was the general response.

"Soft, white glow on your face, as we dance in the Crystal's embrace. The colors soft, and pictures blur, circles within circles; as the dance works miracles, we become something unreal.

"Under the night's warm cloak, the swinging clock's stoke. Midnight is tune-ly struck, dancers step beyond the world's muck. And so the circle spins 'round 'gain, as our souls melt into the dance by Crystal light.

"Old eyes watch youths circle 'round a peg, swirl of your skirt, swing of my leg. As the dance moves our bodies, emotions and thoughts become one; as the dancers run towards fun, weapons become decoration."

"Under the night's warm cloak, the swinging clock's stoke. Midnight is tune-ly struck, dancers step beyond the world's muck. And so the circle spins 'round 'gain, as our souls melt into the dance by Crystal light." He let the last note hang over the air as everyone sat quietly. It was impressive when Hiei sang for an audience.

"Wow…." Had escaped from Genkai's mouth. Hiei blushed.

"What the hell have you been smoking!? That was pretty, you don't do pretty!" Yusuke exploded.

"It came to me after waking up from a nightmare and being unable to sleep." Hiei explained. "I wasn't in the proper state of mind." Everyone nodded. Kairos stood up.

"I have something I'd like to share with everyone…."

* * *

[1]- A fruit native to Crystila. It's nutritious and tastes wonderful. 

[2]- Hiei runs around with his Jagan covered, but nether of his children follow that example.

[3]- Because of the isolation the Galen have geographically and mentally, they are a surprisingly peaceful people. They have no weaponry because they have no war. Instead the Galen relieve their pent-up aggressions by yelling at one another when shopping, arguing when 'affection ally' chatting. They are also not particularly athletic.

* * *

AN: Another cliffhanger! I've gotten really good at these or something…. Review Responses: 

Donamarine- Evilness is a big part of being an author! Learn it well young mantis!! (Have you ever noticed that they always use 'grasshopper'? I want to do something different!) I confess that the only reason why people can read my stuff is my spell check. So I'm sorry about those stupid errors, I normally look it over to attempt to get them, but I didn't do a really thorough job. I promise I won't do that again.

bakaonna2003- Hey! I do that all the time! I honestly don't mind as long as you use the same penname every time! And here's your beloved update!

KayHiei- Actually your little comment about that made me aware of the fact that Yusuke insulted them (and I'm the one who wrote it!). That whole punching in the dressing-room scene was your fault! Hope you liked it!

animefreak54- How could I not? Please don't send fuzzy bunnies at me, I'm already drowning in plot bunnies. Now if you sent some bunny-eating wolves….

SamiKismet- Ah yes, we are so very evil! -- points up -- See? Update!

MoonSilverEyes- Glad I can write for your enjoyment!

Bishounenlvr- Since you wrote two, I'll respond to them in the chapter order. Yeah, those are the ideas I get when I hang out with my perverted male friends for too long. And about those boxers, I as near as I can tell that never happened in the show, though if you want to use that in one of your fics, go right ahead! / Not just one, but _two_!! Actually they have a delayed reaction on that one…. You'll see.

Well, that warps up another chapter! I have a poll concerning this fic and you reviewers get to decide! Just type your voting letter at the beginning of your review.

Here's what you're voting on:

A- I write a small teaser for the next **chapter** at the end of every **chapter**.

B- I put 3 quotes from the next **chapter** at the end of every **chapter**.

C- I put 3 quotes from the next **part/chapter** at the end of every **update**.

D- I do absolutely nothing special and continue writing the fic as I always have been.

E- Something that I didn't mention above. It cannot be writing large teasers or teasers for the next **part/chapter** at the end of every **update**. (Here's my reasoning behind that: **a**- I'm too lazy to do that every update, **b**- I write sometimes parts that are barely two pages on my word processor, how am I supposed to write teasers for those?, **c**- I like to leave people hanging in odd ways)

Happy voting and reviewing!! R&R!!


	17. Materializing the Mystery part 1

AN: I'm giving the poll another run, because most of my reviewers didn't vote. This next time, if you don't vote, I'll just assume you're going D. And for those who did vote, feel free to vote again.

Something is not quite right…

Chapter 6: Materializing the Mystery (part 1)

Tarra was curled up into a ball as she lay sleeping in the hallway. Many Galen saw her and did nothing about it, though they did have enough sense to not step on her. Thankfully Tarra didn't move in her sleep, or the other Galen would have had no qualms about stepping on her. But Tarra did have the most disturbing expression of pleasure on her face.

--- Tarra's Dream Sequence ---

Life was perfect. I was the Queen (that old hag Valia had keeled over) I had two very beautiful children. They behaved perfectly, doing everything I told them to without question. They pampered me, worshiped me! Everyone worshiped me, men would sell their souls for a glance from me. And the best part was Hiei, Etric, the Prince- whatever you want to call him. He was _mine_.

That's what made it perfect, he was _mine_. He had done everything to make my life easy and perfect. He was dreamingly wonderful in bed, and his kisses were more intoxicating than pure alcohol. His eyes beamed with his love and pride in me. But what he did best was his rejection of Kairos. He had lured her into bed, only to dissect her alive. I got to watch his gory mutilation of her. And trust me, I _loved_ every minute of it.

[ **_: Tarra? :_** ]

Like I said, life was perfect.

[ **_: Dreaming again I see…. :_** ]

I tumbling around in bed with Hiei right now. I lay there in awe of his foreign beauty. His red eyes burned with passion for me, his hair seemed always create the most dramatic effect, and his lips- they always wanted to be next to mine. He'd kiss me with such passion, such emotion!

[ **_: It's time to wake, you've got work to do. :_** ]

I wondered though the next few moments in a daze of pleasure. The only thing I was aware of was Hiei and his love. Perfection. I was in the mist of pure perfection.

[ **_: TARRA!! :_** ]

--- End of Dream Sequence ---

Tarra did not open her eyes when she woke. She lay there reminding herself that she was not dreaming.

**_: Awake now? :_**

: Yes. : Tarra admitted.

**_: Good, Mother is going to call Her Child tonight. I want you to spy on and figure out who it is. Once you know this I want you to lure the Child to me. I will then begin the ritual. Now go! :_**

: Yes. : Tarra opened her eyes and stood up. She stalked off, ignoring the questioning looks from the others about her.

* * *

Genkai raised an eyebrow. "And that would be…?" 

**_"Sezure!!_**[1]** The younger Keiko screamed as she jumped up in horror. Botan let out an incoherent yell as she jumped up. The two were standing on the couch, rather freaked out. Yusuke rolled his eyes and went over to investigate. He found a spider. It was twice as big as his fist, thus giving Botan a good reason to yell.**

"Jeez, scared of a spider? Come on Botan! Koenma's more intimidating than that thing!" Yusuke teased. What Yusuke did not see was that both Hiei and Kairos had gone pale. They looked at one another and then at Yusuke.

"Don't provoke it!" They warned Yusuke. He stared at them.

_'Hiei, pale and scared? Well this spider must really be something….'_ Yusuke thought. Kuwabara sat there, sweating bullets.

"Too late." Was all Kuwabara had to say. The spider jumped up and began to spray web around before anyone could react. The web held everyone in place, leaving a burning sensation wherever it touched skin. Hiei didn't seem to mind this, but his attention was quickly turned to Kairos who seemed to be in real pain. Kurama was rather unhappy as well, as the web was starting to burn through his clothes, though that was not the same for the others.

"Any bright ideas?" Genkai asked Hiei.

"Its fire-based, I'm no help." Hiei explained. He actually admitted why he was afraid of it, he couldn't kill it.

_"Rei-ken!!"_ Kuwabara yelled, generating his signature sword. Suichi and Keiko exchanged excited glances. Kuwabara cut himself free and then, with an instructive glare from Hiei, proceeded to relieve Kairos of her pain. The spider hissed loudly.

"You picked the wrong gang to mess with. _Rei-gun!!_" Yusuke had aimed at the spider before he was held in place by the web. Now that the spider was distracted, Yusuke could shoot his gun and hit it. The spider slowly spun around in horror as the low-powered _Rei-gun_ incinerated it. Yusuke demonstrated his control by stopping the blast from going through the table and floor.

"Thanks, that was fun.[2]" Kurama remarked sarcastically. Yusuke, Kuwabara, and Hiei all burst into laughter. Kairos raised an eyebrow as Kurama smirked. "Inside band joke."

"How's about the dimwit with the sword cuts the rest of us free?" Genkai suggested with a glare.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm getting there…." Kuwabara cut everyone except for Hiei free. And the fire demon wasn't too pleased about that, nether was his wife.

"Hello? Kuwabara, I'm still here…." Hiei called out.

"Hey Urameshi, I thought I just a certain little bastard. Did you?" Kuwabara was just trying to get back at Hiei for all the times this scenario was created except Hiei and Kuwabara had switched places. Kairos, who didn't know of this, let out a low growl. Hiei became a bit panicked.

"Umm…Kuwabara? Help me, please!" Hiei quickly squeaked. That's when Kuwabara became aware of Kairos' raising _Yoki_.

"I guess shorty has had enough…." He cut Hiei free and Kairos glared daggers at him.

"Uh, Kuwabara, Hiei's taller than you now…." Kurama remarked. Kuwabara looked up at Hiei, just now remembering.

"So he is…." Kuwabara and Hiei shared the same expression of disturbed disbelief.

"Well that's certainly enough excitement for one night! Let's go to bed!" Botan clapped her hands together as she said this, there was a chorus of agreement from everyone else. And before Kairos could protest everyone went off to their respective rooms, including her children.

"Dammit!" She yelled after everyone had left. Hiei raised an eyebrow. A breath later Hiei remembered what she was talking about.

"Don't worry, we can tell them tomorrow. Its late and everyone has had enough shockers for the day." He led her to the bathroom to wash the excess web off. "We'll have to have the cleaners in again…." Hiei muttered as he looked at the web-covered couch.

"That was not how I wanted to end my day!" Kairos remarked.

* * *

Yusuke sat down in the lounge heavily, his black hair was still very wet from his shower. Kuwabara was currently in the shower, the last on to go. Botan had suggested that they draw straws as to who would get in first, unfortunately for Kuwabara, she specified that shortest was going last after he had grabbed the shortest one. 

"I can't believe it! Hiei has kids!" Yusuke said to no-one in particular, yet there was a chorus of agreement from everyone else, except Kurama and Genkai. Genkai really didn't care what Hiei did, and she had expected him to have at least attempted to fall in love after twenty years of peace. Kurama appeared to be in deep thought.

"Hey Kurama! What-cha thinkin'?" Botan asked the red head. He looked up at her, a bit startled.

"It's weird…." He began. "Hiei didn't Mark her and she didn't Mark him." Kurama was concerned because Hiei had told him that the day marked a mate was the same day he'd have 'true sex' ('not-true sex' was getting raped). But nether of the two had been marked and it was obvious that the two had had 'true sex', it appeared in the form of children.

"What's that?" Keiko asked quietly. She was still unsure of how she felt about Hiei of all people naming a child of his after her. Botan had an idea of what Kurama was talking about, but just to be sure, she took out her copy of Yama's Notebook. She flipped through the pages and began to read the entry out loud.

" 'Demon's Mark- a process in which a demon claims a mate and marks them as such. The Mark is actually the scar left from the dominate mate's teeth. It is located anywhere from the shoulder to the base of the neck. To seal the Mark, one ether mates, or the other mate puts a Mark on the Unmarked one. It is considered to most _Yokai_ tribes it is as good as marriage and is often preformed instead of marriage.' So I was right!" Botan smiled pridefully at her ability to remember her facts right.

"Oh." Came out of Yusuke and Kuwabara.

"I'm guessing Hiei's from one of those tribes that was mentioned?" Genkai asked Kurama, who nodded.

"It's not that weird- he married her! That's what the Mark meant to him, right? So he just did the Crystilian alternate. It's not weird or anything, is it?" Keiko drew the logical line that was actually the truth. Well, most of it anyways, what the gang didn't know was that the Galen didn't know what a Mark was and Hiei had no intention of scaring Kairos' perfect skin.

"You do have a point, but marriage is a religious binding! What God did they marry under?" Botan vaguely wondered.

"Probably Lord Enma." Genkai suggested.

"It might be whatever deity the Galen believe in." Kuwabara pointed out. Everyone stared at him for pointing out the obvious, normally he wasn't quite so aware.

"Or he could have just used the term 'marriage' to keep things simple and was actually bond under the Crystilian laws…." Keiko suggested with a sweatdrop. Once again, Keiko guessed right.

"Well, I'm off to bed." Genkai announced as she went into her room. The door closed with a soft, yet forceful, _'snap'_.

"I guess we should follow her example, it's past midnight…." Kurama recommended to the others, just before he disappeared into his room. Within a matter of moments lobby was emptied and sounds of heavy breathing, or in some cases, snoring emitted from the rooms.

An old Galen woman walked into the castle. She was small, to taller than four feet. Her hair was once forest green but it had faded into a soft lime green. It was long enough that it trailed two feet behind her. Her eyes where glazed with age. Her green skin covered in wrinkles of wisdom. She wore a determined expression. Every step was purposeful. This woman was making her last journey.

And her name was Barji.

The Galen about her moved out of her path, knowing that when this woman reached her destination she would die.

* * *

[1]- A very dangerous spider, native to Crystila. 

[2]- A quote from a Barenaked Ladies song. Me no own.

* * *

AN: Another cliffhanger with a new person. I'm getting good at this. Voting results: 

A- 0

B- 1

C- 0

D- 2

E- 0

No vote- 5

A reminder as to what you're voting on:

A- I write a small teaser for the next **chapter** at the end of every **chapter**.

B- I put 3 quotes from the next **chapter** at the end of every **chapter**.

C- I put 3 quotes from the next **part/chapter** at the end of every **update**.

D- I do absolutely nothing special and continue writing the fic as I always have been.

E- Something that I didn't mention above. It cannot be writing large teasers or teasers for the next **part/chapter** at the end of every **update**.

Review Responses:

Bishounenlvr- Did you have a good look at the bold on B and C? There's a **big** difference there. Yeah, he can cook, but only because he got formal lessons. Otherwise he would have nothing to do with it.

animefreak54- Deal.

slave2anime- That's okay! You came back! I even updated!

Donamarine- -- refrains from correcting errors in your review -- Okay, you start worshiping me. -- obviously disturbed by this -- Then you go on about learning how to cook from your parents. Even though I had asked no such thing of you. Perhaps you could share with us why?

KayHiei- And you guessed right! At least, that was her intention…. Poor Kairos. I did, see?

baka-onna2003- Big cliffies are part of good stories. Why else would you read them? I learned that from Bruce Colvell, (SP?) the author of the Space Brat series.

MoonSilverEyes- I'll do that. I have the perfect guy in mind.

SamiKismet- Yes it is, and it starts with Barji. You deleted it? T.T But if you're only going to make it better, I can wait. And I'll met you there!

Well, see ya next update! R&R!!


	18. Materializing the Mystery part 2

AN: I'm back! Sorry about the lack of update, I got addicted to Ragnarok Online and had XC practice. If you wanna catch me on Ragnarok I'm Kairos Skyeyes (if you do contact me there please let me know that you read my story so I won't sit there confused).

Something is not quite right…

Chapter 6: Materializing the Mystery (part 2)

Suichi and Keiko shared a bedroom. It was painted green with a black carpet, which had been sun- bleached gray in places. The room had been divided in half, which was marked by a very clear imaginary line. Keiko's half of the room resembled Yusuke's in the mere fact that it was covered in clothes and papers and other bits of garbage. There were three trials on her half of the room, one to the door, one to her bed, and one to her desk. Her wardrobe was one the floor rather than in the closet, where she was supposed to put it.

Suichi's half of the room was clean. He had an organized desk, a pile of dirty clothes by the door (which also held Keiko's dirty clothes, so the laundry ladies could tell them apart from her clean ones). Though, he did have a train set out, it was out of the way of feet and set up to be both astatically pleasing and hard to put away. With his sister on the other side of the room, his parent's let the train set slip.

Between the beds there was bedside tables and one chair, which had been crammed in between the two tables. Suichi and Keiko sat on their respective beds, tossing a red ball to one another, when Hiei and Kairos came in. All four were dressed for bed.

"Story-time?" Keiko asked with anticipation as she tossed the ball into her mess. Karios shook her head at that and Hiei smiled, knowing full well his room would be the same as her half, had Kairos not been his wife.

"Yeah, it's story-time." Hiei sat down in the chair between the beds. Kairos sat on his lap, she then relaxed and effectively melted on top of Hiei, preventing him from escaping. Hiei shook his head at his love, who was off in her own little world.

"This one's going to be short." Both children let out disappointed sighs. "It's a true story about Charles[1]. He had lived through falling off a cliff, he lived through many vicious life-death battles, and he mastered the 'unmasterable' technique. But he never really felt alive until he fell in love." Keiko and Suichi opened their eyes, wide.

"When he fell in love, he denied it. He went through day after day of metal turmoil and denial. It was when the woman he had fallen for nearly died, that he came to terms with himself. He guided her through recovery and into full health once more. And during that time the woman had told him that she felt the same way, and that she would be happy with whatever decision he made about that.

"Charles' mind told him not to say anything, his heart told him to tell her about his feelings, the warrior inside him told him that the entire thing was a phase and that he better get over it now before it became a weakness. That left Charles torn. Then he remembered something his good friend, Kuwabara, had told him-" Hiei was interrupted by his son.

"What was it?" Suichi bounced.

"It was this: 'Your heart is your sixth sense. It's a bit hard to hear for someone like you, but if you do hear it, follow it's advice. That advice saved me from getting killed and would save you pain.' Using that Charles confessed his feelings. A few months later he married her." Hiei finished with his tone, rather than words.

"Then what?" Keiko asked.

"The two lived happily ever after, and still do to this day." Hiei smiled at Kairos and kissed her cheek. She blinked and came out of her daze, with a knowing smile on her face. She got up.

"That was a good story, now to bed with both of you!" She said mockingly as she struggled to get her daughter under the covers by force.

* * *

Hiei and Kairos returned to their room. Hiei laid down on the bed and looked at his wife, a mischievous smile on his face.

"No." Kairos said flatly.

"I'm not spent and you promised." Hiei reminded her. He found himself giving her puppy eyes. Kairos sighed in defeat.

"Not too long then." She gave in. Hiei surprised her when he flittered over.

"You won't be disappointed then." He promised her as he slid his hand beneath her nightgown. His fingers began to explore her soft skin.

"You're such a child!" She snapped at him as she playfully pulled on his ear.

"And you continue to love me still." Hiei purred.

* * *

Kairos sat up, suddenly wide awake. Hiei stirred beside her, still deeply unconscious. Kairos looked about the dark room, her eyes flashing and pupils yellow. Kairos had been born with the Knowledge of Moment[2]. She left the bed and dressed herself. Kairos paused before opening the door. She glanced back at Hiei, who continued to sleep.

"Sorry love, I'm needed elsewhere." She left. Hiei opened his eyes to stare at the door. Some good-for-nothing-obnoxious-person had opened and shut it, waking him. He grumbled as he sat up, glancing causally at his sleeping wife. Wait-!

"Kairos?" Hiei was wide-eyed at the prospect of his wife leaving the bed without any warning. Horrible thoughts ran through his head of prospects as to why.

* * *

[1]- Hiei tells his children bedtime stories about his past on the outside world. In them, he is 'Charles', the fire _Yokai_.

[2]- It tells one where to be and when, kind of like the opposite of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

* * *

AN: I'm trying to be evil with my cutting of this chapter, so don't mind the cliffhangers. Er- mind the cliffhangers and harass me to get up and post another part. Review Responses:

MoonSilverEyes- Yeah, he'll be a serious pervert, enough of one to make Yusuke look innocent and naïve. He won't be trying to beat Hiei merely because Hiei could break his neck with the flick of a finger. Haven't seen that movie, I'll look into it. And here is the next chapter.

Donamarine- Thanks for the explanation. I could have it deleted….

KayHiei- Thanks for voting! Yes, as she is supposed to be and sadly she gets worse rather than better. The Mother Crystal's Child can be found out in the information above, you just gotta look. Nope, and they rather sadly remain in the dark about that for a long time.

slave2anime- You wrote two reviews and they where the same…. Thanks for voting! And yes it is!

baka-onna2003- -- backs away slowly -- Okay, nice laugh. Here's your update.

animefreak54- ASAP. Thanks!

SamiKismet- Her pregnancy, I'm only telling you this because it takes the gang forever and a half to find out.

Poll Results of last time:

A- 0

B- 1

C- 0

D- 2

E- 0

No vote- 5

Added results of this time:

A- 0

B- 2

C- 0

D- 4

E- 0

No vote- 9

What was voted on:

A- I write a small teaser for the next **chapter** at the end of every **chapter**.

B- I put 3 quotes from the next **chapter** at the end of every **chapter**.

C- I put 3 quotes from the next **part/chapter** at the end of every **update**.

D- I do absolutely nothing special and continue writing the fic as I always have been.

E- Something that I didn't mention above. It cannot be writing large teasers or teasers for the next **part/chapter** at the end of every **update**.

As I said prior, no votes are equivalent to D votes. Which makes our winner "D- I do absolutely nothing special and continue writing the fic as I always have been."!! Thanks for voting!! See you soon with my next chapter!


End file.
